Increasing the oxidative stability of poly(dicyclopentadiene) aerogels by hydrogenation

Ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of cycloolefins is a promising new route for the preparation of polymeric aerogels. The resulting unsaturation in the polymer backbone, however, makes these particular systems susceptible to oxidative degradation under ambient conditions. One method to increase the oxidative stability of these aerogels is to hydrogenate the material. In the present study, hydrogenation of poly(dicyclopentadiene) gels was achieved through thermolysis of para-toluenesulfonyl hydrazide in the presence of tripropylamine followed by solvent exchange and supercritical drying to form the hydrogenated aerogel (H-pDCPD). Aerogels were prepared with varying densities and were characterized by FTIR-ATR, elemental analysis, BET, SEM, XPS, DSC and TGA. The oxidative stability of H-pDCPD aerogels over pDCPD was investigated through thermolysis in the presence of atmospheric oxygen. We report herein the synthesis and characterization of this new material.