The development of cost-effective and sustainable isotropic pitch precursors is essential for producing general-grade carbon fibers (CFs) with improved mechanical performance. Herein, a facile, catalyst-free copolymerization strategy is reported for upgrading low-cost refined ethylene tar pitch (RETP) into high-performance spinnable isotropic pitch, using refined bio-pitch (RBP) as a renewable reactive modifier. The copolymerization behavior between RETP and RBP is systematically investigated at varying mass ratios. The results reveal that RBP, rich in oxygen-containing functional groups and featuring a unique extended zigzag molecular configuration, effectively promotes radical-mediated cross-linking and polycondensation with RETP molecules under mild thermal conditions. This cooperative interaction facilitates the formation of linear macromolecular architectures with enhanced molecular weight and an appropriate aliphatic–aromatic balance, thereby significantly improving the spinnability of the resulting pitches, as confirmed by rheological measurements and fiber breakage evaluation. Optimal performance is achieved at a RETP-to-RBP weight ratio of 10:3 (RETBP-30), yielding carbon fibers (RETBP-30CF) with a tensile strength of 1427  MPa and a Young’s modulus of 52.4 GPa.

This study proposes a three-dimensional random fiber network design strategy based on melt-blown mesophase-pitch-based carbon fiber felts (CFMB-felt). By fully utilizing the highly oriented crystallites and high thermal conductivity of radial mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers (CFMPs) in both the axial and radial directions, a continuous and effective thermal conduction network is established through randomly distributed individual carbon fibers, leading to the fabrication of non-woven carbon/carbon (NW-C/C) composite with three-dimensional thermal conduction characteristics. The results indicate that the interwoven carbon fibers in the NW-C/C composite interconnect to form a continuous three-dimensional thermal conduction network. The NW-90°-C/C composite exhibits a near-isotropic planar thermal conductivity of 345-355 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹ within the main plane, while its through-thickness thermal conductivity reaches 110.1 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹. Multiscale finite element modeling reveals the fundamental mechanism that fiber contact points act as critical junctions for heat-flux transfer among fiber network. Together with carbon matrix oriented along the fiber axial direction, this thermal conduction mechanism, consisting of a "fiber-contact network" with an "oriented carbon matrix ", serves as the thermal conduction pathway. Accordingly, the NW-C/C composite shows near-isotropic planar thermal conduction within the main plane and efficient through-thickness thermal conduction in thermal management modules, providing an innovative solution for thermal management in high-power-density electronic devices.

This study presents a structural-induced orientation strategy to fabricate cost-effective two-dimensional carbon/carbon composites with superior unidirectional thermal conductivity. By employing low-cost polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fibers and optimizing reinforcement architecture, the carbon matrix is guided to form highly oriented lamellar structures along the fiber axis, creating efficient thermal conduction pathways. Systematic investigation demonstrates that unidirectional fabric reinforcement significantly outperforms plain weave fabric in inducing matrix orientation, with thermal conductivity strongly dependent on the fiber volume ratio between orthogonal directions. The optimized material achieves an exceptional X-direction thermal conductivity of 400 W m-1 K-1 at a fiber volume ratio of 5:1. Cross-scale finite element modeling reveals that the oriented carbon matrix possesses an extraordinary intrinsic thermal conductivity of 1945 W m-1 K-1, substantially surpassing conventional carbon matrices and demonstrating its dominant role in heat conduction. The established model provides important insights into the heat transfer mechanisms within these architectural composites. This innovative approach simultaneously reduces raw material costs by nearly two orders of magnitude compared to conventional materials using mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers, successfully overcoming the traditional cost-performance limitations. The work provides valuable theoretical insights and practical guidance for developing next-generation thermal management materials. (c) 2026 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.

This study proposed a new zirconium-contained polyborosilazane (PSNB-Zr) precursor in steps with methyldichlorosilane (MDCS), methylvinyldichlorosilane (MVDCS), hexamethyldisilazane (HMDZ), pyridine borane and zirconocene dichloride (Cp2ZrCl2) as raw materials. After pyrolysis of the PSNB-Zr, the corresponding silicoboron carbonitride containing zirconium (SiZrBCN) ceramics were obtained. This precursor structure was analyzed through Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer (1H NMR). In addition, X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were carried out to analyze the ceramic microstructure and phase composition. Conversion from the precursor into the ceramic phase was investigated by TG-MS. The results suggest that the precursor has a less branched structure and is highly soluble in benzene, toluene, xylene and n-hexane. The precursor derived SiZrBCN ceramics are amorphous up to 1400 degrees C. When the precursor is heated to 1600 degrees C, SiC, Si3N4 and Zr2CN are formed, and SiC, ZrB2, Si3N4, BN multiphase ceramics are obtained upon heat-treatment at 1800 degrees C with the phase transformation of Zr2CN. During the heat treatment, the ceramics change from amorphous to crystalloid with the release of small molecule like CH4, NH3, etc. The antioxidant properties of the SiZrBCN ceramics were tested at 1100-1600 degrees C in static air atmosphere. A compact oxidation layer is prepared on the surface of SiZrBCN ceramics, which was mainly composed of SiO2, ZrO2 and ZrSiO4. The formation of ZrSiO4 inhibits the evaporation of SiO2, thus improving the oxidation performance of SiZrBCN ceramics.

Clarifying the chemical morphological evolution of organic sulfur (S) compounds in fluid catalytic cracking decant oils (FCC-DOs) during heat treatment is crucial for optimizing the microstructure and properties of their derived carbon materials. Herein, three FCC-DOs with varying S content (named as FCC-0.2, FCC-1.3 and FCC2.0, respectively) were used to prepare artificial graphite through a multi-step process, including prepolymerization, delayed coking, calcination, and graphitization. S compounds were classified into four categories: thioalcohols, thiophenes, sulfoxides, and sulfones. Their transformation pathways during mesophase transformation and their effects on the microstructural and electrochemical properties of the derived artificial graphite were investigated. The results indicate that thiophenes in P-1.3, through C-S bonds acting as active sites for radical hydrogenation reactions, facilitated the alkylation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), thereby enhancing molecular stacking orientation of the derived mesophase pitch (MP-1.3). In contrast, S--O bonds in sulfoxides and sulfones of P-2.0 served as active sites for radical addition reactions, promoting S crosslinking and impeding the mesophase transformation of PAHs. The conversion of sulfoxides and sulfones adversely impacted microcrystalline development, leading to reduced crystallite size and graphitization degree. Consequently, while the artificial graphite exhibited lower specific discharge capacity, it demonstrated improved rate performance as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).

N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) has notable selectivity for brominating aromatic compounds with alkyl side chains. This study employs NBS in lieu of liquid bromine to prepare spinnable isotropic pitch derived from ethylene tar pitch (ETP) using a selective photobromination-debromination approach. The prepared isotropic pitches were then utilized to fabricate isotropic pitch-based carbon fibers (IPCFs) through a process involving melt spinning, oxidative stabilization, and subsequent carbonization. As the amount of NBS added increases in the photobromination stage, the softening point, pitch yield, average molecular weight, and degree of polymerization of the resulting isotropic pitch gradually increase, whereas its spinnability first improves but then decreases. Compared with the isotropic pitch manufactured through thermal polymerization alone, the isotropic pitch that undergo photobromination-debromination exhibits a more linear molecular structure formed by methylene/ ethylidene-bridged aromatic units. This molecular structure enhances its spinnability, significantly improving the mechanical performance of the resulting IPCFs. The isotropic pitch produced with 15 wt% NBS during photobromination demonstrates exceptional spinnability, yielding carbon fibers with excellent mechanical characteristics. These fibers exhibit a tensile strength of 1333 MPa, Young's modulus of 64 GPa, and an elongation property of 2.4 %. This work provides a new method for the high value-added utilization of ET by controlling the molecular structure of the pitch precursor.

Molecular structure modification of coal tar pitch (CTP) is an essential step for preparing spinnable mesophase pitch (MP) as precursor of high-performance carbon materials. Herein, a cost-effective method employing ethylene tar hydrodeconstructed oil (ETHO) as co-carbonization agent was proposed for preparation of spinnable CTP-derived MPs and mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers (MPCFs). The impact of co-carbonization on molecular stacking perfection of MPs and their as-spun fibers, and ultimately on microcrystalline development of MPCFs were investigated. The findings indicate that the co-carbonization process introduces abundant aliphatic side chains and naphthenic structures into aromatic CTP molecules, leading to an initial increased and subsequent decreased molecular stacking perfection of MPs as usage of ETHO increases. Benefit from molecular structure manipulation for MPs, the preferential orientation behavior of precursor molecules during melt spinning were promoted thus enhanced the microcrystalline development of MPCFs. Thereby, the prepared MPCFs with 25 % ETHO usage possess the highest tensile strength at 3.56 GPa. And the MPCFs prepared with 50 % ETHO usage exhibit an average axial thermal conductivity of 1123.2 W/(m center dot K). This work provides insights into manufacturing high performance MPCFs via cooperatively controlling the molecular stacking perfection of MPs and their further molecular preferred orientation behaviors during spinning.

Single-source organic precursors of TaxHf1-xC (x = 0.2, 0.25, 0.33, 0.5) were synthesized using TaCl5, HfCl4 and phenolic resin as the sources of tantalum (Ta), hafnium (Hf) and carbon (C), respectively. The synthesized organic precursors were pyrolyzed to obtain TaxHf1-xC single-phase solid solutions with ideal solid solution structure characteristics. On this basis, preparation of TaxHf1-xC modified carbon/carbon composites (C/C-TaxHf1-xC) was achieved through precursor impregnation and pyrolysis (PIP). The formation process, microstructure and oxidation resistance of TaxHf1-xC solid solutions as well as the ablation resistance of C/C-TaxHf1-xC composites were systematically investigated. The results indicate that the pyrolysis process of TaxHf1-xC precursors involves carbothermal reduction reaction (CRR) of HfO2 and Hf6Ta2O17, and solid-solution reaction (SSR) between TaC and HfC. With the increase of Hf/Ta atomic ratio, higher temperatures are required to form TaxHf1-xC single-phase solid solutions. At the temperature of 1800-2000 degrees C, TaC and HfC formed by precursor pyrolysis undergo adequate SSR to form TaxHf1-xC single-phase solid solutions, and their composition and microstructure mainly depend on the Hf/Ta atomic ratio. The ablation resistance of C/C-TaxHf1-xC composites can be effectively improved by adjusting the Hf/Ta atomic ratio. The C/C-Ta0.5Hf0.5C and C/C-Ta0.25Hf0.75C composites exhibit superior ablation resistance, with linear ablation rates (LARs) of only 0.88 and 0.19 mu m/s, respectively. The excellent ablation resistance of C/C-Ta0.5Hf0.5C is attributed to the formation and interaction of Ta2O5 and Hf6Ta2O17, while the exceptional ablation resistance of C/C-Ta0.25Hf0.75C is due to the interlocking structure of Hf6Ta2O17.

This study aimed to address the issue of the low oxidation activity of coal-tar-derived isotropic pitch (IP) fibers stemming from the high aromaticity of coal tar pitch (CTP). Thus, 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-diphenylbutane (DMDPB) was proposed to modify CTP. Then, spinnable IPs were prepared by an air oxidation process, followed by melt spinning, stabilization, and carbonization, to produce general-purpose isotropic pitch-based carbon fibers (IPCFs). The influences of varying dosages of DMDPB on the molecular structure of IPs and oxidation performance of as-spun fibers were investigated as well as the mechanical properties of their IPCFs. The results suggest that some methyl side chains were introduced onto the aromatic molecules of CTP through radical grafting reactions so as to inhibit the polycondensation among CTP molecules. Since the methyl side chain content increased with the rising dosage of DMDPB, the pre-oxidation activity and the stabilization efficiency of the as-spun fibers were significantly enhanced. Additionally, an appropriate amount of introduced aliphatic side chains led to the formation of more cross-linked oxygen-containing functional groups during stabilization, thus reinforcing the mechanical properties of the resultant IPCFs. When the DMDPB dosage was increased to 8%, the average tensile strength of the prepared IPCFs reached 1013 MPa, representing an increase of 69%. This study enlightens the preparation of cost-effective, high-performance IPCFs through the optimization of precursor molecular structures.

Carbon-based composite materials, denoted as C/C composites and possessing high thermal conductivity, were synthesized utilizing a three-dimensional (3D) preform methodology. This involved the orthogonal weaving of mesophase pitch-based fibers in an X (Y) direction derived from low-temperature carbonization, and commercial PAN-based carbon fibers in a Z direction. The 3D preforms were saturated with mesophase pitch in their raw state through a hot-pressing process, which was executed under relatively low pressure at a predetermined temperature. Further densification was achieved by successive stages of mesophase pitch impregnation (MPI), followed by impregnation with coal pitch under high pressure (IPI). The microstructure and thermal conductivity of the C/C composites were systematically examined using a suite of analytical techniques, including Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and PLM, amongst others. The findings suggest that the volumetric fraction of fibers and the directional alignment of the mesophase pitch molecules can be enhanced via hot pressing. The high graphitization degree of the mesophase pitch matrix results in an increased microcrystalline size and thus improved thermal conductivity of the C/C composite. Conversely, the orientation of the medium-temperature coal pitch matrix is relatively low, which compensates for the structural inadequacies of the composite material, albeit contributing minimally to the thermal conductivity of the resultant C/C composites. Following several stages of impregnation with mesophase pitch and subsequent impregnation with medium-temperature coal pitch, the 3D C/C composites yielded a density of 1.83 and 2.02 g/cm3. The thermal conductivity in the X (Y) direction was found to be 358 and 400 W/(m·K), respectively.

Developing a nanoscale secondary thermal conduction network within carbon fiber performs is a challenging yet effective method to substantially enhance the thermal conductivity of C/C composites. In this study, a strategy for creating a three-dimensional (3D) SiC nanowires (SiCNWs) thermal conductivity network in carbon felts (CFs) was implemented using vacuum thermal evaporation technology to fabricate SiCNWs modified C/C composites (SiCNW-C/C). The growth mechanism of SiC nanowires within CFs and their impact on the microstructure and thermal conductivity of the C/C composite were thoroughly investigated. The findings indicate that a SiC nanowires thermal conduction network can be successfully established within carbon felts without catalysts by initiating nucleation sites and managing reaction pressure. An appropriate reaction pressure is crucial not only for the uniform growth of SiC nanowires but also as a key factor in modulating the content and microstructure of the SiC nanowires. SiC nanowires prepared at 150 Pa exhibit minimal structural defects and are evenly distributed throughout the carbon felts, markedly enhancing the thermal response rate of the felts. The thermal conductivity of these SiCNW-modified C/C composites, both parallel and perpendicular to the carbon fibers, increased to 173 W/m center dot K and 112 W/m center dot K, respectively, approximately tripling that of the pure C/C composite. The exceptional thermal management capabilities of SiCNW-C/C were empirically validated through simulated operational chips and finite element simulation. This work presents an effective approach for producing C/C composite with high thermal conductivity particularly through the thickness, offering promising applications in the thermal management of advanced electronics.

Isotropic pitches with high softening points were controllably synthesized using naphthalene (NAP) via Blanc chloromethylation–dechlorination. Under mild conditions, chloromethyl was introduced into the NAP ring in the presence of chloromethylation reagent. The chloromethylation products of NAP are mainly composed of 1-chloromethylnaphthalene (1-CMNP) and a small amount of 1,4-dichloromethylnaphthalene (1,4-DCMNP). The results of the thermodynamic and kinetic calculations confirmed that the alpha-hydrogen on the NAP ring was more susceptible to being substituted by chloromethyl during chloromethylation, resulting in the formation of 1-CMNP and 1,4-DCMNP. High-quality isotropic pitches with linear methylene-bridged NAP ring structures, characterized by high purity, a high H/C ratio, 100% solubility in quinoline, and excellent spinnability, were obtained after thermal dechlorination polymerization. Due to their homogeneous isotropic phase, appropriate viscosity, and outstanding spinnability, the as-synthesized pitches were adopted as precursors to prepare isotropic pitch-based carbon fibers via melt spinning. Additionally, the investigation of the carbonization behavior of the as-synthesized pitches showed that the naphthalene-derived isotropic pitch obtained at a polymerization temperature of 380 °C had a 57% carbon yield at 800 °C, and its derived semi-cokes displayed an isotropic texture, even when carbonized at 550 °C.

The mesophase pitch-based carbon fiber interface material (TIM) with a vertical array was prepared by using mesophase pitch-based short-cut fibers (MPCFs) and 3016 epoxy resin as raw materials and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as additives through electrostatic flocking and resin pouring molding process. The microstructure and thermal properties of the interface were analyzed by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), laser thermal conductivity and thermal infrared imaging methods. The results indicate that the plate spacing and fusing voltage have a significant impact on the orientation of the arrays formed by mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers. While the orientation of the carbon fiber array has a minimal impact on the shore hardness of TIM, it does have a direct influence on its thermal conductivity. At a flocking voltage of 20 kV and plate spacing of 12 cm, the interface material exhibited an optimal thermal conductivity of 24.47 W/(m·K), shore hardness of 42 A and carbon fiber filling rate of 6.30 wt%. By incorporating 2% carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into the epoxy matrix, the interface material achieves a thermal conductivity of 28.97 W/(m·K) at a flocking voltage of 30 kV and plate spacing of 10 cm. This represents a 52.1% increase in thermal conductivity compared to the material without TIM. The material achieves temperature uniformity within 10 s at the same heat source temperatures, which indicates a good application prospect in IC packaging and electronic heat dissipation.

Fe2O3/ZnO/Ag ternary composite photocatalytic material was prepared by simple hydrothermal method, and its structure and photocatalytic properties were studied. The experimental results show that Fe2O3/ZnO/Ag exhibits better photocatalytic performance. After two hours of UV irradiation, the degradation rates of orange II and methyl orange reached 91.9% and 75.9%, respectively. The design and preparation of the photocatalyst provide a theoretical basis for the practical application of photocatalytic technology.

The in-suit synthesis of SiC nanowires (SiCNWs) on carbon fibers (CFs) to produce SiC@C composites is pivotal due to their broad applications. However, it's challenging because most CFs have a microstructure unsuitable for SiCNWs nucleation. In this study, we introduced a series of carbide coatings on CFs to facilitate the growth of SiCNWs through a thermal evaporation process. It was observed that carbide coatings on CFs significantly enhance the nucleation of SiC, enabling the efficient production of SiCNWs@CF. These SiCNWs can grow directly on the carbide-coated CFs through heteroepitaxial nucleation. Carbide coatings with a cubic phase structure and a crystalline size of less than 50 nm are vital for SiCNWs formation. This carbides coating approach is beneficial not only for carbon materials but also holds potential for numerous other matrices.

Blanc bromomethylation-dehydrobromination is proposed to synthesize isotropic pitches with superior spinnability, utilizing refined coal tar pitch as the feedstock. This strategy involves introducing bromomethyl functional groups into pitch molecules through the Blanc bromomethylation reaction. In the subsequent process of dehydrobromination, methylene bridges generate between neighboring aromatic molecules. The pitch precursor prepared by this method not only displays an increased level of oligomerization and pitch yield, but also exhibits a more linear molecular structure compared with that produced through purely thermal polycondensation. The enhanced linear molecular configuration contributes to the improved spinnability of the pitch precursor and the oxidation reactivity of its derived fiber. Furthermore, the tensile strength of the resulting carbon fibers rises with an elevation in the amount of polyoxymethylene, and it exhibits the trend of an initial growth followed by a subsequent decrease as the stabilization temperature escalates. The carbon fibers obtained from the pitch prepared through thermal polycondensation present a low Young's modulus of 24 GPa and a low tensile strength measuring of 456 MPa. In contrast, carbon fibers derived from the pitch synthesized via Blanc bromomethylation-dehydrobromination exhibit superior mechanical performance, offering Young's modulus and tensile strength of 58 GPa and 1210 MPa, separately.

The co -carbonization of refined coal tar pitch (RCTP) and brominated industrial methyl naphthalene (BIMNP) employing benzoyl chloride (BC) as a catalyst has been explored to create an isotropic spinnable pitch for carbon fibers with notable tensile strength. BIMNP is derived from industrial methyl naphthalene (IMNP) via photobromination assisted by visible light using N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) as a brominating agent. This research investigates the impact of the mass ratio of RCTP and BIMNP on the composition, molecular structure, and thermophysical characteristics of the co -carbonized pitch. A tentative elucidation of the co -carbonization mechanism involving RCTP, BIMNP, and BC is presented. Adjusting the NBS-to-IMNP mass ratio leads to the complete conversion of 1-methylnaphthalene (1-MNP) and 2-methylnaphthalene (2-MNP) in IMNP into 1-bromomethylnaphthalene (1-BMNP) and 2-bromomethylnaphthalene (2-BMNP), respectively. The co -carbonized pitch exhibits enhanced pitch production, increased thermal stability, and improved spinnability compared to pitch synthesized via thermal polycondensation. The resulting carbon fibers experience a rise in tensile strength by 947 MPa and an increase in Young's modulus by 41.3 GPa as BIMNP content varies from 10% to 30%. Using BIMNP as a co -carbonization agent offers a promising avenue for producing pitch -based carbon fibers meeting automotive industry requirements.

Phase change composites (PCCs) for the thermal management of high-energy density device are required to have large heat storage capacity and rapid heat conduction and dissipation ability. A hierarchical graphite foam (GF)/SiCw network skeleton with abundant pore capacity for loading paraffin wax (PW) was designed and fabricated. The highly oriented carbon walls of GFs as the main channels for fast thermal transportation and SiCw formed in GF pores as the high efficiency heat conductive networks provide GF-SiCw/PW with highly efficient thermal energy harvesting and releasing ability. The prepared GF-SiCw-2 composite loaded with 48.99 wt% of PW exhibits an excellent thermal conductivity of 249.74 W m-1 K-1and fast thermal response characters. No PW leakage, homogeneity and superior phase change behavior were observed in GF-SiCw-2/PW. The excellent thermal management of GF-SiCw/PW was also confirmed. This innovative structure design suggests an efficient route for the development of phase change thermal management system with high heat conductivity, and shows extensive application prospects.

The high softening point and mosaic optical textures of coal tar pitch (CTP)-derived mesophase pitches are the main factors limiting their application in high performance carbon fibers. Spinnable mesophase pitch was prepared using CTP hydrogenation process, and the effect of hydrogenation process on the preparation of mesophase pitch and the crystal structure of carbon fibers was investigated. Molecular structure characterization results show that the naphthenic structures and the aliphatic groups in hydrogenated CTP were generated by the hydrogen addition reaction of aromatic rings and the subsequent naphthenic cracking reactions, respectively. The naphthenic structures and aliphatic groups introduced during the CTP hydrogenation process of CTP have a significant effect on improving the homogeneity of anisotropic textures, molecular weight distributions and the molecular stacking heights of mesophase pitches. The prepared mesophase pitch has lower viscosity and enhanced flowability, significantly improving its spinning stability and the molecular orientation of their as-spun pitch fibers. Benefits from this, the optimized carbon fibers present distorted graphite lamellar structures and possess a larger crystal size than commercial coal tar-based carbon fibers K13D2U. The work provides some valuable insights for enhancing crystal structures of carbon fibers via molecular structure regulations of their precursors.

The fast formation of mosaic optical textures is one of main factors limited its application in high performance carbon materials due to active components containing olefins in ethylene tar pitch (ETP). In this paper, a thermal pretreatment process is proposed for effective molecular reformation of ETP, especially for separation of these active components containing olefins. Mesophase pitch with developed rheological properties and domain anisotropic textures was then prepared via polymerization of the post-treated ETP. Molecular structures analysis results show that these active components containing olefins in ETP prefer to form macromolecules consisted of multiple aromatic cores via rapid radical reactions, and develop a mixed anisotropic texture consequently. Nevertheless, these normal aromatic components tend to produce a semi-rigid molecular structure with less aromatic cores by aliphatic chains transfer reactions and stable radical polymerization reactions. This architecture facilitates its molecular stacking and orientation thus the prepared mesophase pitch (ETP-MP) shows better anisotropic domain texture. The prepared mesophase pitch had suitable performance for the application in needle cokes and carbon foams. This work will help to expand the manufacturing of ETP-derived carbon materials through molecular reformation.