TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preparation: The sulfonimide-bearing compound HOC6H4SO2NR1SO2Rf is prepared by:(1) reacting ROC6H4SO2Cl with RfSO2NH2, and a base (e.g. trimethylamine, triethylamine, pyridine, imidazole, and/or pyrimidine) in the presence of a first solvent (e.g. acetone, acetonitrile, N,N-dimethylacetamide, N,N-dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, hexamethyl phosphoramide, nitromethane, pyridine, and/or tetrahydrofuran) to produce a first intermediate compound ROC6H4SO2NMSO2Rf;(2) reacting the first intermediate compound with an alkali metal salt (e.g. lithium methoxide, lithium ethoxide, lithium tert-butoxide, lithium phenolate, lithium hydroxide, sodium methoxide, sodium ethoxide, sodium tert-butoxide, sodium phenolate, sodium hydroxide, potassium methoxide, potassium ethoxide, potassium phenolate, potassium tert-butoxide, and/or potassium hydroxide) in the presence of a second solvent (e.g. methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, tert-butanol, acetone, acetonitrile, N,N-dimethylacetamide, N,N-dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, hexamethyl phosphoramide, nitromethane, and/or tetrahydrofuran) to produce a second intermediate of ROC6H4SO2NMSO2Rf;(3) reacting the second intermediate with an alkali alkane thiolate (e.g. sodium ethane thiolate, lithium ethane thiolate, and/or potassium ethane thiolate) to produce a sulfonimide-bearing compound.M = R'3NH+ (in first intermediate compound), and Li, Na, or K (in second intermediate compound).Preferred Compounds: The sulfonimide-bearing compound may be an alkali sulfonimide-bearing compound of ROC6H4SO2NR1SO2Rf or an amine terminated sulfonimide-bearing compound of formula H2NC6H4SO2NR1SO2Rf.R, R1 = Li, H, K, or preferably Na.Preferred Method: In other embodiments: (i) preparation of phenoxy sulfonimide functionalized polyphosphazene includes reacting polyphosphazene (NPCl2)n with R1OC6H4CH3 and R1OC6H4SO2NR1SO2Rf to produce a reaction product, and reacting the reaction product with R1OC6H4CH3 to produce an alkali phenoxy sulfonimide functionalized polyphosphazene; (ii) preparation of haloalkoxy sulfonimide functionalized polyphosphazene of (NP(OCH2(CF2)4H)x(OC6H4SO2NR1SO2Rf)2 - x)n includes reacting (NPCl2)n with an alkali fluoroalkoxide (e.g. NaOCH2(CF2)4H, NaOCH2CF3, NaOCH2CF2OCF2CF2OCF3, LiOCH2(CF2)4H, LiOCH2CF3, LiOCH2CF2OCF2CF2OCF3, KOCH2(CF2)4H, KOCH2CF3, or KOCH2CF2OCF2CF2OCF3) to displace 50 % of the Cl in the (PNCl2)n and form a first reaction product, reacting the first reaction product with an alkali phenoxy sulfonimide of formula R1OC6H4SO2NMSO2Rf to produce a second reaction product, reacting the second reaction product with an excess of an alkali fluoroalkoxide; and (iii) preparation of lithiated phenoxy sulfonimide functionalized polyphosphazene includes forming an aqueous, acidic solution of (NP(OR5)x(OC6H4SO2NHSO2Rf)2 - x)n, and subjecting the solution to dialysis against lithium chloride solution.R5 = -OCH2CH2OCH2CH2OCH3.