2026-07-01 産業技術総合研究所
図1 合成ピッチの熱溶融性と黒鉛化挙動
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.aist.go.jp/aist_j/press_release/pr2026/pr20260701/pr20260701.html
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-74338-9
松脂由来の黒鉛化可能なピッチにより、テルペンから大量の黒鉛を製造できる Graphitizable pitch from pine resin enables bulk graphite from terpenes
Masato Morimoto,Yuya Kado,Takuma Kawaguchi,Shogo Ise,Shinya Sato,Eri Fumoto,Toshihiro Kakinuma,Sadao Matsuzawa,Sou Hosokai & Yasushi Soneda
Nature Communications Published:01 July 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-74338-9
Abstract
Graphitization of biomass-derived carbon is fundamentally constrained by the absence of molecular architectures capable of forming a mesophase during carbonization. Unlike petroleum-derived pitches, most biomass precursors lack sufficient aromatic condensation and therefore fail to undergo liquid-phase graphitization. Here we demonstrate a chemically guided strategy to convert terpene-based biomass into a true graphitizable pitch through deliberate molecular restructuring. Pine-resin–derived terpenes are sequentially transformed via deoxygenation–aromatization and controlled oligomerisation, yielding an aromatic pitch with intrinsically low heteroatom content. Thermal analysis and polarized optical microscopy provide evidence of thermoplastic behavior and mesophase formation during heating. Upon high-temperature treatment, the resulting pitch yields graphite with crystallinity comparable to natural graphite. This work establishes a molecular design principle for constructing graphitizable pitches from biomass-derived feedstocks.
