Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene, and materials based on these, are largely used in multidisciplinary fields. Many techniques have been put forward to synthesize them. Among all kinds of approaches, the low-temperature plasma approach is widely used due to its numerous advantages, such as highly distributed active species, reduced energy requirements, enhanced catalyst activation, shortened operation time and decreased environmental pollution. This tutorial review focuses on the recent development of plasma synthesis of CNTs and graphene based materials and their electrochemical application in fuel cells.