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Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9723-8466

Date Available

4-29-2026

Year of Publication

2026

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College

Arts and Sciences

Department/School/Program

Chemistry

Faculty

Mark Meier

Faculty

Matthew Weisenberger

Faculty

Kenneth Graham

Abstract

Graphitic materials possess unique properties due to the unique combination of layered crystalline structure and carbon’s low atomic weight. High performance carbon fiber is one such example, displaying exceptional strength-to-weight ratios, stiffness, and thermal and chemical resistance. These properties render high performance carbon fiber a critical structural reinforcement material in the manufacture of composites across various industries, such as for automotive and aerospace applications. However, balancing fiber performance with precursor and processing costs remains a challenge. As alternative carbonaceous feedstocks are explored, coal has gained interest for utilization in graphitic products as a relatively abundant and low-cost source of aromatic carbon.

This work broadly covers the process of utilizing coal for high performance carbon fiber. First, coal extracts are obtained through direct coal liquefaction in petroleum-derived fluid catalytic cracking decant oil. The efficacy of the process and the suitability of the coal extract as a precursor to graphitic products is assessed through comprehensive solubility testing, chemical and thermal characterization, and polarized optical microscopy. The thermal conversion of coal extracts to mesophase pitch is then examined, and process development, optimization, and methods for real-time reaction progress monitoring are described. Additionally, a general framework for understanding the isotropic-mesophase phase transition from a colloidal perspective is proposed. The production of high performance carbon fiber from a coal extract-derived mesophase pitch is then successfully demonstrated, and mesophase pitch properties impacting melt-spinning stability are discussed. Finally, coal contribution to carbon fiber was quantitatively determined via stable carbon isotope analysis. The investigations detailed in this work provide in-depth understanding of co-processing coal and decant oil system via direct coal liquefaction, the impact of various processing steps on chemical and material properties, mesophase pitch processability, and carbon fiber performance.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2026.153

Archival?

Archival

Funding Information

This research was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with UT-Battelle, LLC., through Oak Ridge National Laboratory project FEAA302 “Scale-up Production of Graphite, Carbon Fibers and other Products from Coal”. Additional support was also provided by the University of Kentucky's Center for Applied Energy Research.

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