Separation and Oxidation Strategies for a New Approach to Asphaltene-Derived Carbon Fibres

Our team is developing selective oxidation reactions that will transform Alberta oil sands asphaltenes into novel mixtures of organic molecules that have completely different physical properties from the starting materials. In parallel, we will be investigating advanced separation schemes that can provide new asphaltene fractions enriched in different components of the asphaltene blends (i.e. ‘island’ vs ‘archipelago’ types). These new carbon fiber precursor materials will be characterized using state-of-the-art mass spectrometric analysis, providing us with a well understood library of precursor materials to further explore as inputs for carbon fiber production.