Synthesis and cation exchange properties of a new porous cation exchange resin having an open-celled monolith structure

We succeeded in introducing cation exchange groups quantitatively into a porous resin having an open-celled monolith structure. The resulting new cation exchange resin had the following advantages compared with conventional ion exchange resins having a bead structure. First, it was easier to pack it in a column. Second, the ion exchange rate of the new cation exchange resin was much higher than that of the conventional ion exchange resins, and the ion exchange band length of the new resin was smaller than that of the conventional ones. In addition, the electric conductivity was about five times higher than that of the conventional ones, although they had similar ion exchange capacities. These unique properties of the new cation exchange resin were caused by the quantitative introduction of ion exchange groups into the resin having the open-celled monolith structure. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.