Patent ID: 6982303

Claim:
A covalently cross-linked polymer, polymer blend, or covalently cross-linked polymer membrane comprising one or more polymers which optionally have the following functional groups a) precursors of cation exchange groups selected from the group consisting of SO 2 M, POM 2 , COM, or mixtures thereof, b) sulfinate groups SO 2 Me, or mixtures thereof where M is independently Hal, OR, NR 2 , Hal is F, Cl, Br, I, R is independently alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, aryl; X is independently Hal, OR, Y, and Me is independently H, Li, Na, K, Cs, a metal cation, or an ammonium ion, where at least some of the polymers are covalently cross-linked by c) a difunctional, trifunctional or oligofunctional haloalkane or haloaromatic, which has been reacted with sulfinate groups SO 2 Me, and where the following cross-linking bridges are present in the polymer/polymer blend/polymer membrane: polymer-SO 2 —Y—SO 2 -polymer where Y is the crosslinking bridge —(CH 2 ) x —, -arylene-, —(CH 2 ) x -arylene-, —CH 2 -arylene-CH 2 —, and x is 3-12); and/or polymer-SO 2 —(CH 2 ) x —NR—SO 2 -polymer where compounds containing Hal-(CH 2 ) x —NHR, which have been reacted on the Hal- side with sulfinate groups SO 2 Me and on the —NHR side with SO 2 M- groups; and/or polymer-SO 2 —NR—(CH 2 ) x —NR—SO 2 -polymer where compounds containing the group NHR—(CH 2 ) x —NHR, which have been reacted with SO 2 Me groups.