Process for producing ion-exchange fibers, films, and the like

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR MAKING A FILMY PRODUCT HAVING AT LEAST ONE SMALL DIMENSION OF THE ORDER OF ONE-TENTH TO TWENTY MILS COMPRISING EXTRUDING, THROUGH AN ORIFICE OF A SPINNERET INTO A COAGULATING MEDIUM, A WATER-INSOLUBLE LINEAR ADDITION POLYMER CONTAINING (1) FROM ONE-HALF TO 50 MOLE PERCENT OF CROSS-LINKABLE UNITS CONTAINING REACTIVE GROUPS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CARBOXYL, HYDROXYL, AMIDO, AMINO, EPOXY, ISOCYANATO, UREIDO, AND ALKOXYMETHYLTHIO GROUPS, AND (2) AT LEAST 7 MOLE PERCENT OF HYDROLYZABLE UNITS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THOSE FORMED OF ACRYLONITRILE, ACRYLAMIDE, METHYL ACRYLATE, AND ETHYL ACRYLATE, COALESCING THE EXTRUDED POLYMER TO FORM A FILMY PRODUCT, THEN REACTING THE CROSS-LINKABLE UNITS WITH A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THEMSELVES AND POLYFUNCTIONAL COMPOUNDS TO FORM CROSS-LINKS BETWEEN MOLECULES OF THE POLYMERS IN THE COALESCED PRODUCT WHILE MAINTAINING THE FORM OF THE POLYMER PRODUCT, AND THEN HYDROLYZING AT LEAST 7 MOLE PERCENT OF THE HYDROLYZABLE UNITS TO INTRODUCE CARBOXYLIC GROUPS INTO THE POLYMER.