Raman spectroscopic studies of the cure of dicyclopentadiene (DCPD)

S. E. Barnes, E. C. Brown, N. Corrigan, P. D. Coates, E. Harkin-Jones, H. G.M. Edwards

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

29 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The cure of polydicyclopentadiene conducted by ring-opening metathesis polymerisation in the presence of a Grubbs catalyst was studied using non-invasive Raman spectroscopy. The spectra of the monomer precursor and polymerised product were fully characterised and all stages of polymerisation monitored. Because of the monomer's high reactivity, the cure process is adaptable to reaction injection moulding and reactive rotational moulding. The viscosity of the dicyclopentadiene undergoes a rapid change at the beginning of the polymerisation process and it is critical that the induction time of the viscosity increase is determined and controlled for successful manufacturing. The results from this work show non-invasive Raman spectroscopic monitoring to be an effective method for monitoring the degree of cure, paving the way for possible implementation of the technique as a method of real-time analysis for control and optimisation during reactive processing. Agreement is shown between Raman measurements and ultrasonic time of flight data acquired during the initial induction period of the curing process.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2946-2952
Number of pages7
JournalSpectrochimica Acta - Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy
Volume61
Issue number13-14
DOIs
Publication statusPublished (in print/issue) - 1 Oct 2005

Keywords

  • Cure monitoring
  • Polydicyclopentadiene
  • Raman
  • Ultrasound

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