The ever‐increasing demand for nanostructured composite materials and sustainable processes for next generation CO2 capture technologies has necessitated the need to develop novel and cost‐effective synthetic routes for CO2 adsorbents based on amine and ionic liquid functionalized porous adsorbent materials with improved physico‐chemical properties. The most obvious option is modification of the synthesized porous adsorbent materials by the incorporation of organic functional molecules into the pore structures of support materials, giving place to hybrid materials that combine the properties of both composites. These hybrid materials will be of great potential for practical applications, especially for post‐combustion CO2 capture, owing to the increase in CO2 capturing ability and selectivity to CO2 compared to other gases in the flue gas stream. This paper reviews the diverse synthesis routes of bare porous materials and rich functionalities of porous adsorbent materials which will allow further post‐modification to improve their performance in CO2 capture and increase their CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4 selectivity ratios. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.