Patent ID: 7619033

Claim:
A method of solution polymerizing an ion-triggerable cationic polymer comprising the steps of: A. preparing a mixed solvent solution of water and an organic solvent with a boiling point below 100° C.; B. heating the solvent solution; C. mixing with said solvent solution 1) one or more vinyl-functional cationic monomers, 2) one or more hydrophobic vinyl monomers having alkyl side chains of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, 3) optionally about 0% to 30 mole % of one or more other vinyl monomers with linear or branched alkyl groups longer than 4 carbons, alkyl hydroxy, polyoxyalkylene, or other functional group, and 4) a free radical initiator, to form a reaction mixture; D. heating the reaction mixture for a sufficient amount of time to polymerize the monomers and provide the ion-triggerable cationic polymer; E. after polymerization, performing the following steps in any sequence, including simultaneously, 1) adding water to said reaction mixture to provide an aqueous dispersion of said ion-triggerable cationic polymer, and 2) removing substantially all of the organic solvent from said reaction mixture using a continuous process.