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Volume 19
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10.3390/ma19122528
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Study on the Structural Characteristics of Narrow Fractions of Catalytic Cracking Slurry and the Formation Pathway of Mesophase Pitch

by
Xuesong Shan
1,2,
Shuandi Hou
1,2,*,
Renqing Chu
2,
Yun Wu
2,
Yuanyuan Zhang
2,
Dan Guo
2,
Yongen Gao
2,
Shiwen Li
2 and
Zihui Ma
2
1
SINOPEC Research Institute of Petroleum Processing Co., Ltd., Beijing 100083, China
2
SINOPEC Dalian Petrochemical Research Institute Co., Ltd., Dalian 116045, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Materials 2026, 19(12), 2528; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19122528
Submission received: 11 May 2026 / Revised: 4 June 2026 / Accepted: 9 June 2026 / Published: 11 June 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis and Characterisation of Carbon-Based Materials)
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Abstract

FDO’s wide boiling range and complex composition hinder controlled synthesis of high-performance mesophase pitch. Here, FDO was separated into light, middle, and heavy narrow fractions by vacuum distillation. Multi-scale characterization traced molecular evolution and mesophase development. The light fraction consists of three-ring aromatics with short alkyl side chains and shows the lowest reactivity, yielding limited condensation and poor stacking with isotropic regions and dispersed spheres. The middle fraction contains four-ring aromatics with moderately extended chains, exhibiting enhanced reactivity and undergoing nucleation, growth, coalescence, and disintegration of mesophase spheres. However, insufficient volatiles restrict shear orientation, forming a mosaic texture. The heavy fraction has four-ring aromatics with the longest alkyl chains and the lowest substitution degree, giving the highest reactivity. During thermal cracking, long chains release abundant radicals and volatiles; directional escape generates shear, promoting rapid growth and ordered alignment of aromatic lamellae. At 440 °C for 12 h, this fraction yields high-quality mesophase pitch with small-domain texture, a low softening point (295 °C), and high anisotropic content (98.8%). The pitch shows excellent spinnability, and derived carbon fibers (tensile strength ~1.45 GPa, modulus ~151 GPa) outperform a commercial reference processed under identical conditions. This study reveals molecular-level regulation of mesophase evolution by narrow fraction structures.
Keywords: mesophase pitch; catalytic cracking slurry; narrow fraction; liquid-phase carbonization; formation mechanism mesophase pitch; catalytic cracking slurry; narrow fraction; liquid-phase carbonization; formation mechanism
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MDPI and ACS Style

Shan, X.; Hou, S.; Chu, R.; Wu, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Guo, D.; Gao, Y.; Li, S.; Ma, Z. Study on the Structural Characteristics of Narrow Fractions of Catalytic Cracking Slurry and the Formation Pathway of Mesophase Pitch. Materials 2026, 19, 2528. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19122528

AMA Style

Shan X, Hou S, Chu R, Wu Y, Zhang Y, Guo D, Gao Y, Li S, Ma Z. Study on the Structural Characteristics of Narrow Fractions of Catalytic Cracking Slurry and the Formation Pathway of Mesophase Pitch. Materials. 2026; 19(12):2528. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19122528

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shan, Xuesong, Shuandi Hou, Renqing Chu, Yun Wu, Yuanyuan Zhang, Dan Guo, Yongen Gao, Shiwen Li, and Zihui Ma. 2026. "Study on the Structural Characteristics of Narrow Fractions of Catalytic Cracking Slurry and the Formation Pathway of Mesophase Pitch" Materials 19, no. 12: 2528. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19122528

APA Style

Shan, X., Hou, S., Chu, R., Wu, Y., Zhang, Y., Guo, D., Gao, Y., Li, S., & Ma, Z. (2026). Study on the Structural Characteristics of Narrow Fractions of Catalytic Cracking Slurry and the Formation Pathway of Mesophase Pitch. Materials, 19(12), 2528. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19122528

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