Research progress on high-value applications of coal-based carbon materials

China’s resource endowment, characterized by abundant coal reserves but relatively scarce oil and natural gas resources, determines the dominant position of coal in the country’s energy mix. However, with the continuous advancement of the “dual carbon” strategy, the utilization of coal must shift from traditional combustion to clean, efficient, and high-value-added approaches. The development of coal-based carbon materials represents a critical pathway toward achieving clean and high-value utilization of coal and its derivatives. Coal and its derivatives possess polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon networks and condensed polycyclic structures. Through processes such as molecular chemical tailoring, chemical vapor deposition, and interfacial assembly, these materials can be controllably fabricated into zero- to three-dimensional functional carbon materials, which will significantly advance the high-value applications of coal-based functional carbons. Initially, we present the multiscale structural and compositional characteristics of coal and its derivatives (coal tar pitch and coal-derived humic acid), elucidating the evolutionary trend of aromatization with increasing coal rank. The analysis highlights that the highly conjugated framework of coal tar pitch facilitates the formation of graphite-like microcrystalline structures, while humic acid exhibits intrinsic heteroatom self-doping properties and hierarchical pore-forming capabilities. Subsequently, the research progress of coal-derived carbon materials across multiple dimensions is comprehensively summarized, including zero-dimensional carbon dots, one-dimensional carbon nanotubes, two-dimensional graphene, three-dimensional porous activated carbons, and amorphous carbon materials. Based on this foundation, the high-value applications of multidimensional coal-based functional carbon materials are systematically categorized across various fields such as electrochemical energy storage, fluorescent materials, anti-corrosion and lubrication, catalysis, and adsorption. Furthermore, the structural evolution mechanisms during coal pitch pre-oxidation and carbonization processes are revealed, along with their fundamental influence mechanisms on sodium storage behavior. To realize sustainable coal utilization, future work should focus on eco-friendly scale-up production and development of facile synthesis methods for coal-derived carbons, which will accelerate their practical applications in clean energy and environmental technologies.