Industrial application and olefin metathesis catalyst technologies for reaction injection molding of dicyclopentadiene

Current technologies of DCP-RIM reaction injection molding of dicyclopentadiene are reviewed from an industrial point of view. The DCP-RIM provides high-impact, heat resistant, and insulating poly dicyclopentadiene thermoset resin via catalytic olefin metathesis. Control of chemical reactivities of the catalysts is one of the most important technologies for the DCP RIM. The key properties of the catalysts are their good solubility in dicyclopentadiene and latency. Suitable tungsten or molybdenum-based catalyst systems have been developed and used for over 30 years. These catalyst systems are comprised of inorganic tungsten or molybdenum salt and an air-sensitive organoaluminum as an activator. In contrast, robust Grubbs type ruthenium-alkylidene catalysts are attracted great interest in the field of the DCP RIM. Detailed structure and reactivities of the ruthenium catalysts for the DCP-RIM are summarized.