Carbon has unique and desirable properties for use in applications such as fuel cells and batteries. The properties can vary widely depending on its structure and surface characteristics. Two types of carbon, a synthetic graphite produced from petroleum coke and an extruded graphite rod, were characterized using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopy and the features were correlated with electrochemical properties of the material. The graphite rod was found to have a more disordered structure, greater sp(3) character, and a greater surface oxygen content as compared to the synthetic graphite from coke. Our results show that the characteristics of electrodeposited platinum and polyaniline depend on the type of substrate; the preferable carbon for producing composite materials for catalyst applications is the graphite from petroleum coke. (c) The Author(s) 2017. Published by ECS.