Abstract: Coal liquefaction pitch (CLP) exhibits several distinctive characteristics, including a large number of aromatic ring and graphite microcrystal structures, ease of graphite processing, and a high carbon yield. Utilizing CLP as a carbon source for the synthesis of pitch-based mesoporous carbon (PMC) for hydrogen fuel cells (HFC) not only facilitates the refined, high-value, and environmentally friendly utilization of coal resources but also fosters the development of advanced functional carbon materials and the integration of new energy technologies. However, the preparation of functional carbon materials from CLP is challenged by issues such as trace ash content and easy condensation at high temperatures, all of which hinder precise control over the structure and graphite content of the resulting materials. To overcome these challenges, PMC with a high specific surface area (1 456 m²/g) and highly graphitization were successfully synthesized using CLP as the raw material and nano-MgO as a hard template, employing the hard-template coupling steam activation technology. The influence of carbonization/activation conditions on the pore structure, graphitization, and surface chemical properties of the PMC was thoroughly investigated. Moreover, PMC was utilized as a support for the preparation of platinum-carbon catalysts for HFC. Electrochemical techniques, including cyclic voltammetry, polarization curves and etc. were employed to assess the electrocatalytic performance of the catalyst, establishing a structure-activity relationship between the support structure and the catalyst performance. The pore structure and graphite degree of PMC affected electrochemical performance were also explored. The findings revealed that the combination of the hard-template with steam activation effectively addressed the ash impurity in CLP, eliminating the reliance on high-purity raw materials, reducing production costs, and enabling precise control over the PMC pore structure (pore size, 3-15 nm; pore volume, 2.5 cm³/g) and highly graphitization. In a three-electrode system, the HFC-Pt/C catalyst achieved an electrochemical active surface area of 68.9 m²/g in nitrogen-saturated 0.1 mol/L HClO₄. In oxygen-saturated 0.1 mol/L HClO₄, the catalyst exhibited a current density of 4.45 mA/cm² at 0.9 V vs. RHE, highlighting its excellent electrocatalytic oxidation-reduction performance.