Alkyl ammonium ionomers

Claim 1

Polymers having the general formula: [C--A.sup.- ].sub.p+1 R.sub.3 N.sup.+ [Q--R.sub.2 N.sup.+ ].sub.P R wherein C is one of a plurality of carbon atoms comprising a portion of the polymer backbone chain of carbon atoms or is in an acyclic, alicyclic or aromatic radical which is pendant to the backbone chain and wherein said C is in a single polymer molecule; A - is an anionic radical covalently bonded to one or more of said C carbon atoms; and wherein the R groups represent substituents of the nitrogen atom(s) which are each independently selected from the group comprising hydrogen or C 1 to C 50 straight and branched chain acyclic, alicyclic, aryl, alkylaryl, and arylalkyl radicals and substituted functional derivatives thereof, wherein at least one of the R groups is selected from the group comprising C 12 to C 50 straight and branched chain acyclic, alicyclic, aryl, alkylaryl, and arylalkyl radicals and substituted functional derivatives thereof, and wherein each Q is independently selected from the group comprising C 1 to C 40 divalent straight and branched chain alkylene, cycloalkylene, arylene, dialkylene-arylene radicals and substituted functional derivatives thereof and --(CHY) n --Z m --(CHY) n , wherein Z is a hetero atom selected from the group consisting of oxygen and sulfur, m is zero or one, Y is hydrogen or said C 1 to C 50 radicals or substituted functional derivatives of said radicals and n is an integer of from 1 to 10, wherein p is from zero (for a monoammonium counterion) to about 10, and wherein said ammonium counterion at least partially neutralizes said anionic acid radicals.