Phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) dual heteroatom doped mesoporous carbon (PNDC) synthesized by microwave assisted carbonization of tannin cross-linked to melamine in the presence of polyphosphoric acid was evaluated electrochemically for supercapacitor application. Controlling the N content by varying the amount of tannin to melamine in the carbonization process produced varying nitrogen, phosphorus and oxygen functionalities along with different physical properties. Electrochemical characterization studies revealed that N content is responsible for pseudocapacitance and high surface area plays a vital role in improving the capacitative behavior by enhanced electric double layer formation. In 1.0 M H2SO4 and 6.0 M KOH, PNDC-2 showed a high specific capacitance of 271 F g(-1), and 236 F g(-1), respectively. XPS results demonstrate the presence of pyridinic-N, quaternary-N as well as quinone type oxygen functionalities, which accounts for redox reactions and likely play an important role in the transportation of electrons during the charge/discharge process. Thus, the microwave assisted synthesis of doped carbon can provide a novel method of synthesizing materials useful for the fabrication of cheap and high performance supercapacitors. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.