The thesis presents transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) studies of new carbon based materials synthesized with two different techniques. In the first project, nitrogen is incorporated into carbon nanostructures by supersonic cluster beam deposition (SCBD) to favor the formation of curved and cross-linked structures, ultimately aiming at creating a material with high hardness combined with good elasticity. The second project deals with nanoporous carbon derived from various carbides (VC, WB, NbC, TaC, HfC, ZrC and TiC) synthesized at temperatures ranging from 700 to 1200 °C, ultimately aiming at creating a porous material with large surface area and narrow poor size distribution. In both projects, the results of different synthesis conditions are investigated with the help of high resolution TEM and EELS. Structural and chemical information about the samples is extracted and it is found that it is possible to alter the nanostructure depending on the synthesis conditions. The thesis ends with implementation and evaluation of Gold’s iterative deconvolution method for enhanced energy resolution in EEL spectra. Relevant background about the chemical elements, transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy is included in the introductory chapters.