Elastomeric permselective membranes

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A SOLID VULCANIZED RESINOUS HOMOGENEOUS ELASTOMERIC PERMSELECTIVE MEMBRANE, WHICH CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF DRY BLENDING A MIXTURE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF (A) AN ION-EXCHANGE-ACTIVE MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF (1) A VULCANIZABLE ADDITION POLYMER CONTAINING GROUPS WHICH MAY BE HYDROLYZED TO FORM CARBOXYL GROUPS, (2) A VULCANIZABLE ADDITION POLYMER CONTAINING CARBOXYL GROUPS, (3) MIXTURES OF (1) AND (2), AND (4) A VULCANIZABLE ADDITION POLYMER CONTAINING ANION-EXCHANGE GROUPS, AND (B) AN ION-EXCHANGE-INACTIVE POLYMERIC DILUENT, VULCANIZING THE BLENDED COMPOSITION WITH A VULCANIZING AGENT TO PRODUCE A DRY HOMOGENEOUS ELASTOMERIC MEMBRANE, AND SUBSEQUENTLY CONVERTING THE POTENTIALLY ACTIVE FUNCTIONAL GROUPS TO ION-EXCHANGE GROUPS AND INTRODUCING WATER OF HYDRATION INTO THE MEMBRANE BY HYDROLYZING SAID DRY VULCANIZED ELASTOMERIC MEMBRANE IN AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION CONTAINING A HYDROLYSIS CATALYST TO THE EXTENT NECESSARY TO PRODUCE ION-EXCHANGE GROUPS UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT SAID MEMBRANE IN AN AMOUNT FROM ABOUT ONE TO ABOUT SIX MILLIEQUIVALENTS PER GRAM OF DRY MEMBRANE.