This research work presents the functionalization of spherical carbons with metal complexes and ionic liquids for application in catalysis and gas purification. The applied polymer-based spherical activated carbon is an advanced material with combined features derived from its polymer origin, spherical shape and carbonaceous nature. Such features are, for instance, high material purity, good filtration performance and a large internal surface area. In the first part of this work, the development of catalysts based on metal-loaded spherical carbon is presented. The second part deals with continuous gas purifcation using spherical carbons coated with thin films of ionic liquids, so called supported ionic liquid phase (SILP) materials.