Nitrogen/sulfur-codoped mesoporous carbon (CMK-3P) was readily prepared through direct carbonization of a protic salt [Phen][2HSO(4)] in the presence of pristine SBA-15 template without the use of acid or metal catalysts for prepolymerization. CMK-3P is characteristic of the presence of large mesopores and even macropores caused by the curved and intertwined nanorods, high surface area (1030 m(2) g(-1)), large pore volume (2.403 cm(3) g(-1)) and high nitrogen (6.0 at%) and sulfur (0.61 at%) contents. These characteristics make CMK-3P as an efficient metal-free catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction. (C) The Author(s) 2016. Published by ECS.