Catalyzed reinforced polymer composites

• US 6,750,272 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2001
• Issued: 06/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Inventors: White, Scott R., Kessler, Michael R., Myers, Benjamin D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harlan, Robert D.
• Application Number:
  US09/892,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20020198342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 526/170, 526/171, 526/172, 526/282, 526/283, 526/161, 524/554, 523/211
• US Class Current: 523/211
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 32/00 Homopolymers and copolymers of cyclic compounds having no unsaturated aliphatic radicals in a side chain, and having one or more carbon-to-carbon double bonds in a carbocyclic ring system
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 3/242 Applying crosslinking or accelerating agent onto compounding ingredients such as fillers, reinforcements
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 5/00 Manufacture of articles or shaped materials containing macromolecular substances manufacture of semi-permeable membranes B01D67/00 - B01D71/00

Abstract

A method for making a fiber-reinforced composite comprises dispensing a reactive liquid into a mold. The mold comprises fibers and a single-component activator on the fibers. The reactive liquid comprises a cyclic olefin, and the mold comprises fibers and a single-component ROMP activator on the fibers. Composites formed by the method may have high fiber densities.

Claims

1. A method for making a reinforced composite, comprising:

dispensing a reactive liquid into a mold;

wherein the mold comprises reinforcing material and a single-component activator on the reinforcing material.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reinforcing material comprises fibers.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the single-component activator is a complex of formula (I):

wherein M is Os or Ru;

R and R¹ are independently hydrogen, alkyl;

alkenyl, alkynyl, or aryl;

X and X¹ are independently hydrogen or any anionic moiety; and

L and L¹ are independently any neutral electron donor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein

M is Ru;

R is hydrogen;

R¹ is phenyl;

X and X¹ are Cl; and

L and L¹ are tricyclohexyl phosphine.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the single-component activator is prepared by contacting the fiber with a mixture of the activator and a solvent.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the contacting comprises spraying, and the mixture is a solution of the activator in an organic solvent.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the concentration of the activator in the solution is from 0.1 millimolar to 500 millimolar.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the reactive liquid comprises a cycloolefin monomer.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the reactive liquid comprises dicyclopentadiene.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the activator and monomer are present in a molar ratio from 1:

100 to 1;

1,000,000.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the viscosity of the reactive liquid is less than 10 centipoise.

12. The method of claim 2, comprising a plurality of fibers, wherein the fibers are present in a volume fraction of from 40% to 80%.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the reactive liquid does not require mixing immediately prior to dispensing into the mold.

14. A method for making a reinforced composite, comprising:

dispensing a reactive liquid into a mold;

wherein the reactive liquid comprises a cyclic olefin, and the mold comprises reinforcing material and a single-component ROMP activator on reinforcing material.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the reinforcing material comprises fibers.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the single-component activator is complex of formula (II):

wherein M is Os or Ru;

R and R¹ are independently hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, or aryl;

X and X¹ are independently hydrogen or any anionic moiety; and

L and L¹ are independently any neutral electron donor.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein

M is Ru;

R is hydrogen;

R¹ is phenyl;

X and X¹ are Cl; and

L and L¹ are tricyclohexyl phosphine.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the single-component activator is prepared by contacting the fiber with a mixture of the activator and a solvent.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the contacting comprises spraying, and the mixture is a solution of the activator in an organic solvent comprising a concentration of the activator of from 0.1 millimolar to 500 millimolar.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the reactive liquid comprises dicyclopentadiene.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the activator and monomer are present in a molar ratio of from 1:

100 to 1;

1,000,000.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein

the single-component activator is prepared by spraying the fiber with a solution of the activator in an organic solvent comprising a concentration of the activator of from 0.1 millimolar to 500 millimolar;

the reactive liquid comprises dicyclopentadiene;

the activator and monomer are present in a molar ratio from 1;

100 to 1;

1,000,000; and

the volume fraction of fibers is from 40% to 80%.