Nanoporous carbon films were deposited by 248 nm pulsed laser ablation of a graphite target in different background pressures of argon (P Ar ). The morphology changed from smooth, high-density amorphous carbon films at P Ar = 20 mTorr to ultra-low density nanoporous material at P Ar = 380 mTorr. Subsequently, the nanostructural, chemical and electrical properties of metal containing nanoporous carbon samples were investigated by ablating graphite targets containing known contents of Ni and Co. We demonstrate how the ablation plume dynamics affect both the nanostructure of the material and the incorporation of metal atoms. The suitability of these functionalised ultra-low density materials for gas sensing applications is discussed.