CROSSLINKED SEEDED COPOLYMER BEADS AND PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE

摘要

Seeded cation-exchange resin beads are particularly susceptible to oxidative degradation which results in the leaching of organic carbon fragments. The leachability of organic carbon fragments of molecular weights greater than 1000 g/mol is reduced to less than 800 ppm by effectively crosslinking the copolymers that comprise the seeded cation-exchange resin beads. Crosslinking can be achieved either during sulfonation by increasing sulfone bridge formation or before sulfonation by either alkylene bridge formation or by incorporation and subsequent activation of a crosslinkable functionality in the copolymer that forms the seed in the seeded polymer bead process.