The fractal analysis is carried out to study the influence of adsorption of polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (Tween 80) on the surface properties of graphite. The surface fractal dimension (d(SF)), BET surface area (S-BET) and pore size distribution (PSD) are calculated from low temperature nitrogen adsorption isotherms. The decline in the dSF of graphite surface is found as the adsorption amount of Tween 80 increases, which suggests that the adsorbed Tween 80 smoothes the graphite surface. Additionally, the observation of atomic force microscopy (AFM) proves that the original slit pores in pure graphite are blocked up and the step defect sites are screened by Tween 80, which may result in the reduction of graphite roughness. The PSD pattern of graphite changes after the adsorption due to the pore blocking effect. SBET of the graphite decreases as the adsorption amount of Tween 80 increases, which is attributed to both pore blocking effect and surface screening effect. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.