For the purpose of finding an adequate carbon additive for a Fe/C composite air battery anode, effects of various carbons on the electrochemical properties of Fe/C composite electrodes were investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), together with X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Acetylene black, tubular carbon nanofiber (CNF) and platelet CNF exhibited good results, including improved conductivity and higher redox currents of the Fe/C electrode. EDS revealed that on the Fe/nano-carbon surface, especially on the Fe/tubular CNF surface, iron was more dispersed than on Fe/graphite after cycling. Such a high dispersion of iron on nano-carbon surfaces may improve the electrochemical behavior of the Fe redox species. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.