Boron and phosphorus doped glassy carbon: I. Surface properties

Abstract

The effects of boron and phosphorus incorporation in phenolic resin precursor on the surface properties of glassy carbon (GC) have been studied. Characterization of the surface properties using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and mass spectrometry analysis of desorption products showed that boron and phosphorus doped GC contained more carbon-oxygen complexes on the surface than undoped GC. The thermal decomposition of the surface oxide species, resulting in desorption of CO and CO2 as major gas products, showed that the presence of heteroatoms affects the nature of the surface oxide species and contributes to their increased stability. The presence of stable surface oxide species promotes the increased oxidation resistance of doped GC samples.