Patent ID: 7321013

Claim:
A method of making a polymer, comprising providing a mixture (I) comprising a reactant mixture (a) and a solvent mixture (b) comprising a nonvolatile solvent (b nv ), wherein reactant mixture (a) comprises one or more polymerizable components and wherein nonvolatile solvent (b nv ): (i) is not a crystalline solid at 25° C., (ii) is nonvolatile, and (iii) comprises at least one functional group (F 1 ) and (iv) is a fluid solid, subjecting the reactant mixture (a) to polymerization conditions sufficient to polymerize reactant mixture (a) to provide a polymer (a′), and subjecting the nonvolatile solvent (b nv ) to reaction conditions wherein the at least one functional group (F 1 ) of nonvolatile solvent (b nv ) is reacted with at least one reactant (e) to provide a nonvolatile solvent (b′ nv ) comprising at least two functional groups (F 2 ), the method producing a mixture (II) comprising the polymer (a′) in the nonvolatile solvent (b′ nv ) comprising at least two functional groups (F 2 ), wherein the at least one functional group (F 1 ) is substantially nonreactive: (1) with the components of reactive mixture (a), (2) under the polymerization conditions in which reactant mixture (a) is polymerized, and (3) with polymer (a′).