The effect of magnetic field on the catalytic graphitization of phenolic resin in the presence of Fe–Ni

The effect of an externally applied magnetic field on the Fe–Ni catalyzed graphitization of phenolic resin was investigated. The Fe and Ni doped phenolic resin was first carbonized at 800 °C and then graphitized at different temperatures (800–1200 °C). Both the carbonization and graphitization were carried out in a magnetic field and the crystal structure was characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The externally applied magnetic field was found to promote the graphitization and to improve the orientation of the hexagonal carbon layers. In the presence of Fe–Ni, a high degree of graphitization could be achieved by applying a magnetic field. This resulted in a d002 of 0.3355 nm and full-width at half maximum (FWHM) value of 0.103° after a 1200 °C heat treatment. In comparison, the absence of a magnetic field resulted in a d002 of 0.3358 nm and FWHM of 0.305°.