A unified process for preparing mesophase and isotropic material from anthracene oil-based pitch

A simple procedure for preparing mesophase and isotropic material from an anthracene oil derivative (AOP) is described herein. This technology, which can be easily scaled up, was designed to prepare both materials (mesophase and isotropic phase) from anthracene oil derivatives to a purity >99%. The process consists of two thermal treatments (one under pressure and one without) followed by a subsequent sedimentation step. Because of the flexibility of the process, it is possible to determine the effect of the experimental conditions on the composition, size and thermal stability of the mesophases and isotropic materials. The results showed that the first step of the process (thermal treatment under pressure) affects the structure and properties of the sample, to a greater degree, these effects being especially pronounced in the case of mesophase. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.