Temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO) was used to analyse carbon materials prepared from two different anthracites by high temperature treatment. TPO data indicated the presence of two carbon species with different oxidation reactivity in all the materials prepared from both anthracites. The influence of the heat treatment temperature on the evolution and structure of different carbon species was evaluated by using both the TPO data and the XRD parameters. The less ordered (more reactive) carbon species were gradually converted into the more ordered (less reactive) species by increasing the heat treatment temperature, thus, giving rise to the formation of materials with a higher overall degree of graphitic order as determined by XRD. Within the set of materials prepared from one of the anthracites (ATO), a consistent relationship was found between the oxygen reactivity of the carbons species and the treatment temperature in the range of 2300–2600°C. In addition, there was also a good correlation between the proportion of the more reactive carbon component in the materials and their XRD parameters (particularly La).

Financial support from DGCYT (under Project Nos. MAT2001-1843 and MAT2004-01094) and FICYT (under Project No. PB-EXP01-01) is gratefully acknowledged. One of the authors (D.G.) thanks FICYT for a personal grant.

5 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables.-- Available online Apr 18, 2006.

Peer reviewed