Hydrogenation of Dicyclopentadiene Resin and Its Monomer over High Efficient CuNi Alloy Catalysts

Abstract Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) resin polymerized by DCPD contains a large number of unsaturated bonds, hydrogenation plays an important role in enhancing its thermal stability and decoloring. Herein, a series of supported Cu−Ni‐Al catalysts with high distribution and large surface areas derived from direct reduction of hydrotalcite‐like compounds have been synthesized. The hydrogenation properties of supported Cu−Ni‐Al catalysts for the DCPD resin and its monomer have been investigated. The Cu 1 Ni 3 ‐Al 2 O 3 catalyst shows the highest DCPD conversion (>99%) and selectivity to tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene (THDCPD) (>98%) under mild conditions (40 °C, 2 MPa H 2 ) compared with the corresponding catalysts prepared by impregnation and mechanically mixed method. Due to the high particle dispersion of active‐sites and the synergistic effect between metallic Cu and Ni, the optimal catalyst (Cu 1 Ni 3 ‐Al 2 O 3 ) also presents an expected catalytic activity in the hydrogenation of DCPD resin.