Polyelectrolytes and the method of making the same

Claim 1

A POLYMERIC ELECTROLYTE COMPRISING A COPOLYMER OF A VINYL N-ALKYLATED VINYL PYRIDINE COMPOUND OF THE CLASS CONSISTING OF MONOVINYL PYRIDINE AND THE ALKYL SUBSTITUTED MONOVINYL PYRIDINES, AND POLYMERIZABLE VINYL AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND THE SUBSTITUTED ALKYL AND HALO DERIVATIVES THEREOF, SAID AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS HAVING BOUND TO THE AROMATIC NUCLEUS A QUATERNARY AMINE GROUP OF THE FORMULA CNH2NNR3X, WHERE N IS NO GREATER THAN 4, R IS AN ALIPHATIC RADICAL CONTAINING NO GREATER THAN 4 C ATOMS, AND X IS AN ANION, SAID N-ALKYLATED VINYL PYRIDINE COMPOUND BEING PRESENT IN AMOUNT BETWEEN 15 AND 70 MOL PERCENT OF THE COPOLYMER, AND SAID QUARTERNARY AMINE GROUP BEING PRESENT IN AMOUNT EXCEEDING 0.3 MEQ. PER GRAM OF COPOLYMER.

Claim 3

THE METHOD OF TRANSFERRING ANIONS FROM ONE SOLUTION TO ANOTHER TO THE SUBSTANTIAL EXCLUSION OF THE TRANSFER OF CATIONS, COMPRISING SEPARATING THE SOLUTIONS BY AT LEAST ONE SOLID, UNFRACTURED, CONTINUOUS SHEET, SAID SHEET COMPRISING: AN INSOLUBLE, INFUSIBLE, POLYMERIC MATRIX CONTAINING POLYVINYL AROMATIC HYDROGENS AND VINYL NALKYLATED VINYL PYRIDINE COMPOUNDS AND HAVING DISSOCIABLE QUATERNARY AMMONIUM GROUPS BOUND TO THE AROMATIC NUCLEI IN GEL RELATIONSHIP WITH ABOUT 20% TO ABOUT 70% BY VOLUME OF AN AQUEOUS SOLVATING LIQUID AS A CONTINUOUS PHASE, SAID MATRIX HAVING IMBEDDED THEREIN A REINFORCING MATERIAL, AND PASSING A DIRECT ELECTRIC CURRENT THROUGH SAID SOLUTIONS AND SHEET IN SERIES, THUS EFFECTING MIGRATION OF SAID ANIONS FROM ONE SOLUTION THROUGH SAID SHEET INTO THE OTHER SOLUTION.

Claim 4

THE METHOD OF TRANSFERRING ANIONS FROM ONE SOLUTION TO ANOTHER TO THE SUBSTANTIAL EXCLUSION OF THE TRANSFER OF CATIONS, COMPRISING SEPARATING THE SOLUTIONS BY AT LEAST ONE SOLID, UNFRACTURED, CONTINUOUS SHEET, SAID SHEET COMPRISING: AN INSOLUBLE, INFUSIBLE, POLYMERIC MATRIX CONTAINING POLYVINYL AROMATIC HYDROGENS AND VINYL NALKYLATED VINYL PYRIDINE COMPOUNDS AND HAVING DISSOCIABLE QUATERNARY AMMONIUM GROUPS BOUND TO THE AROMATIC NUCLEI IN GEL RELATIONSHIP WITH ABOUT 20% TO ABOUT 70% BY VOLUME OF AN AQUEOUS SOLVATING LIQUID AS A CONTINUOUS PHASE, SAID MATRIX HAVING IMBEDDED THEREIN A REINFORCING MATERIAL, AND PASSING A DIRECT ELECTRIC CURRENT THROUGH SAID SOLUTIONS AND SHEET IN SERIES, THUS EFFECTING MIGRATION OF SAID ANIONS FROM ONE SOLUTION THROUGH SAID SHEET INTO THE OTHER SOLUTION.