Methodology for studying molecular and supramolecular structures of coals and carbonaceous materials

Abstract

Those studying coals have to account for petrographic nonuniformity (the optical structural level), different types of chemical bonding between structural fragments, the existence of aromatic clusters in the organic matter, the appearance of a supramolecular order between aromatic clusters, and further orientation ordering of crystallites under the action of the geological pressure. Combinations of conventional chemical strategies with advanced physicochemical methods, such as IR, NMR, EPR, and X-ray spectroscopy; X-ray diffraction; electronic and scanning microscopy; and some others, are pertinent for structure determination. The appearance of supramolecular structures is a manifestation of molecular-level structural rearrangements, which are characteristic of coals, cokes, pitches, and various pyrolytic carbons. This necessitates the use of optical, electronic, and scanning microscopy along with other chemical methods. The occurrence of mineral components in coals can appreciably limit the resolution of IR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography.