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According to Sinochem New Network, on February 25th, researchers at the European Research Institute, which is part of the Energy Group’s Low-Carbon Research Institute, made a breakthrough in the field of high-value conversion of coal-based aromatics. The research team developed a novel multiphase platinum-based catalytic system, providing a universal technical solution for the deep conversion of coal-derived (hetero)aromatic resources and the efficient synthesis of high-value products such as fine chemicals and green materials. The relevant findings were published in Nature Communications. Aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds are widely present in coal tar and oils obtained from the direct liquefaction of coal; they serve as important basic raw materials for the advancement of the coal chemical industry chain toward higher-value products. In collaboration with the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis in Germany, the research team developed a novel heterogeneous platinum-based catalytic system that enables broad-spectrum and highly stereoselective hydrogenation of polyfunctionalized aromatics and heteroaromatics under mild conditions, facilitating the efficient synthesis of a series of high-value products with three-dimensional molecular frameworks. By combining quantum chemical calculations with studies on catalytic reaction kinetics, researchers have systematically revealed that platinum nanoparticles with a bilayer structure serve as active sites for aromatic ring hydrogenation reactions. At the same time, this catalytic system exhibits excellent substrate versatility and functional group compatibility, enabling the efficient hydrogenation of 42 types of polyfunctional substituted (hetero)arenes; furthermore, the scale-up synthesis of a new type of green and environmentally friendly plasticizer was successfully demonstrated in the laboratory. This research overcomes the long-standing technical challenges in the stereoselective hydrogenation of polysubstituted (hetero)arenes. It not only provides a key technical foundation for the high-value conversion of coal tar and oils derived from the direct liquefaction of coal, but also opens up new pathways for the efficient and green synthesis of chemicals with three-dimensional molecular frameworks. Through systematic research ranging from molecular-level mechanism studies to process scale-up, this achievement lays a theoretical foundation for the development of green, efficient, and sustainable catalytic conversion technologies for coal-based aromatics, and is expected to contribute to the high-end, diversified, and low-carbon development of the coal chemical industry.