Method of manufacturing electrically conductive membranes and the like

Claim 1

IN THE METHOD OF FORMING A SOLID ELECTROLYTICALLY CONDUCTIVE, SELECTIVELY PERMEABLE, UNFRACTURED ION EXCHANGE MEMBRANE HAVING AT LEAST TWO DIMENSIONS IN EXCESS OF 0.25 INCHES AND COMPRISING AN INSOLUBLE INFUSIBLE SUNTHETIC ORGANIC SOLID POLYMERIC STRUCTURE, DISSOCIABLE IONIC GROUPS HAVING A DISSOCIATION CONSTANT OF AT LEAST 10-5 AND BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT OF AT LEAST 0.3 MILLIEQUIVALENTS PER GRAM OF SOLID MATERIAL CHEMICALLY BONDED TO SAID STRUCTURE, AND A SOLVENT IN GEL RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID STRUCTURE, THE STEPS OF (1) FORMING A DISPERSION IN AN ORGANIC SOLVENT OF MATERIAL CAPABLE OF POLYMERIZING INTO SAID SOLID POLYMERIC STRUCTURE, (2) CASTING SAID DISPERSION ON A REINFORCING MATERIAL TO A MEMBRANE FORM HAVING AT LEAST TWO DIMENSIONS IN EXCESS OF 0.25 INCHES, (3) CURING SAID DISPERSION TO THE INSOLUBLE INFUSIBLE STATE IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID ORGANIC SOLVENT UNDER CONDITIONS SUBSTANTIALLY PREVENTIVE OF THE ESCAPE OF SAID SOLVENT THEREBY FORMING SAID SOLID POLYMERIC STRUCTURE AND (4) THEREAFTER MAINTAINING THE SOLVENT CONTENT OF SAID STRUCTURE.