TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preparation (Disclosed): Preparation of (I) comprises providing a starting polymer, combining the starting polymer with a nitrogen-containing compound or a phosphorus-containing compound to produce an ionic polymer having at least one cationic group, combining the ionic polymer with an acidifying reagent to produce an intermediate polymer and combining the intermediate polymer with ionic salts. Preferred Components: The polymer further comprises at least one hydrophobic monomer and at least one acidic-ionic monomer connected to the polymeric backbone, where the acidic-ionic monomer comprises at least one Bronsted-Lowry acid in conjugate base form having at least one associated cationic moiety, and at least one cationic group, and the acidic-ionic monomers comprise a linker connecting the acidic-ionic monomer to the polymeric backbone. The acidic monomers are sulfonyl monomer of formula (-(CH2)n-SO3M), phosphorus oxy monomer of formula (-(CH2)n-PO3M), carboxylic acid monomer of formula (-(CH2)n-COOM), boron monomer of formula (-(CH2)n-B(OM)2) or 17 cyclic monomers e.g. of formula (a)-(e). The acidic monomers comprises a linker to form an acidic side chain, where the acidic side chain is 31 acidic side chains e.g. -CH2-CH2-S(=O)2(O-)(M+), -CH2-C(=O)-O-M+, -CH2-NH-CH2-C(=O)(O-M+), -CH2-SO3-M+, -CH2-NH-CH2-SO3-M+, -CH2-CH2-B(O-M+)2, sulfonyl group containing acidic side chain of formula (a1), phosphorus oxy group containing acidic side chain of formula (b1), nitrogen containing acidic side chain of formula (c1) or boron containing acidic side chain of formula (d1). The nitrogen-containing cationic group is pyrrolium, imidazolium, pyrazolium, oxazolium, thiazolium, pyridinium, pyrimidinium, pyrazinium, pyradizimium, thiazinium, morpholinium, piperidinium, piperizinium, or pyrollizinium. The phosphorus-containing cationic group is triphenyl phosphonium, trimethyl phosphonium, triethyl phosphonium, tripropyl phosphonium, tributyl phosphonium, trichloro phosphonium or trifluoro phosphonium. The ionic monomer is nitrogen containing monomer of formula (-CH2-N+(R1)3X), phosphorus containing monomer (-CH2-P+(R1)3X) or 8 cyclic monomers e.g. of formula (VIIIA) or (VIIIB). The nitrogen-containing cationic group and the linker form a nitrogen-containing side chain, where nitrogen-containing side chain is 111 nitrogen-containing sides e.g. of formula (A)-(E). The phosphorus-containing cationic group and the linker form a phosphorus-containing side chain, where the phosphorus-containing side chain is 8 side chain e.g. of formula (F)-(H). Each linker is optionally substituted alkylene, arylalkylene, cycloalkylene, alkenylene, arylene or heteroarylene. The polymeric backbone is polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl alcohol, polystyrene, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, polyphenol-aldehyde, polytetrafluoroethylene, polybutylene terephthalate, polycaprolactam, poly(acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), polyalkylene ammonium, polyalkylenediammonium, polyalkylenepyrrolium, polyalkyleneimidazolium, polyalkylenepyrazolium, polyalkyleneoxazolium, polyalkylenethiazolium, polyalkylenepyridinium, polyalkylenepyrimidinium, polyalkylenepyrazinium, polyalkylenepyradizimium, polyalkylenethiazinium, polyalkylenemorpholinium, polyalkylenepiperidinium, polyalkylenepiperizinium, polyalkylenepyrollizinium, polyalkylenetriphenylphosphonium, polyalkylenetrimethylphosphonium, polyalkylenetriethylphosphonium, polyalkylenetripropylphosphonium, polyalkylenetributylphosphonium, polyalkylenetrichlorophosphonium, polyalkylenetrifluorophosphonium and polyalkylenediazolium, polyarylalkyleneammonium, polyarylalkylenediammonium, polyarylalkyleneimidazolium, polyarylalkylenepyrazolium, polyarylalkyleneoxazolium, polyarylalkylenethiazolium, polyarylalkylenepyridinium, polyarylalkylenepyrimidinium, polyarylalkylenepyrazinium, polyarylalkylenepyradizimium, polyarylalkylenethiazinium, polyarylalkylenemorpholinium, polyarylalkylenepiperidinium, polyarylalkylenepiperizinium, polyarylalkylenepyrollizinium, polyarylalkylenetriphenylphosphonium, polyarylalkylenetrimethylphosphonium, polyarylalkylenetriethylphosphonium, polyarylalkylenetripropylphosphonium, polyarylalkylenetributylphosphonium, polyarylalkylenetrichlorophosphonium, polyarylalkylenetrifluorophosphonium, or polyarylalkylenediazolium, where the cationic polymeric backbones are associated with one or more anions.M = H (for Bronsted-Lowry acid in acidic form) or Mg2+, Ca2+ (both preferred) Li+, Na+, K+, N(R1)4+ or Zn2+ (for Bronsted-Lowry acid in conjugate base form), where Zn2+, Mg2+ and Ca2+ are associated with at least two Bronsted-Lowry acids in conjugate base form at any M position on any acidic monomer; eitherZ = C(R2)(R3), N(R4), S, S(R5)(R6), S(O)(R5)(R6), SO2 or O; or2Z = cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl or heteroaryl, where any two adjacent Z may be joined by a double bond;X = F-, Cl-, Br-, I-, NO2-, NO3-, SO42-, R7SO4-, R7CO2-, PO42-, R7PO-3 or R7PO2-, where SO42- and PO42- are each independently associated with at least two cationic groups at any X position on any ionic monomer, preferably Cl-, Br-, HSO4-, HCO2-, CH3CO2- or NO3-;m, n = 0-3;R1-R4 = H, alkyl, heteroalkyl, cycloalkyl, heterocyclyl, aryl or heteroaryl;R5, R6 = alkyl, heteroalkyl, cycloalkyl, heterocyclyl, aryl, or heteroaryl; andR7 = H, 1-4C-alkyl or 1-4C-heteoralkyl. SPECIFIC COMPOUNDS - 816 Compounds (I) are specifically claimed e.g. poly(styrene-co-4-vinylbenzene lithium sulfonate-co-3-methyl-1-(4-vinylbenzyl)-3H-imidazol-1-ium-chloride-co-divinylbenzene) (Ia), poly(styrene-co-4-vinylbenzene lithium sulfonate-co-3-methyl-1-(4-vinylbenzyl)-3H-imidazol-1-ium-bisulfate-co-divinylbenzene), poly(styrene-co-4-vinylbenzene lithium sulfonate-co-3-methyl-1-(4-vinylbenzyl)-3H-imidazol-1-ium-acetate-co-divinylbenzene), poly(styrene-co-4-vinylbenzene lithium sulfonate-co-3-methyl-1-(4-vinylbenzyl)-3H-imidazol-1-ium-nitrate-co-divinylbenzene) and poly(styrene-co-4-vinylbenzene lithium sulfonate-co-3-methyl-1-(4-vinylbenzyl)-3H-imidazol-1-ium-chloride-co-divinylbenzene).    EXAMPLE - A solution containing 50.04 g vinylbenzyl chloride, 10.13 g of styrene, 1.08 g of divinylbenzene and 1.507 g of azobisisobutyronitrile in 150 ml of a mixture of benzene and tetrahydrofuran was gradually added to a stirred solution of 1.08 g of poly(vinylalcohol) in 250 ml of deionized water at 0 degrees C. After 2 hours of stirring to homogenize the mixture, the reaction flask was transferred to an oil bath to increase the reaction temperature to 75 degrees C. The mixture was stirred vigorously for 28 hours. The resulting polymer beads were vacuum filtered using a fritted-glass funnel to collect the polymer product. The beads were washed repeatedly with 20 vol.% of methanol in water, tetrahydrofuran and methanol, and dried overnight at 50 degrees C under reduced pressure to yield 59.84 g of poly(styrene-co-vinylbenzylchloride-co-divinylbenzene).