Synthesis of novel ionic polymers containing arsonic acid group

Synthesis of ortho- and para-acryloylaminophenylarsonic acids (o-AAPHA and p-AAPHA) monomers and their homopolymers, useful as ion-exchange materials, are reported. Both the monomers and homopolymers are synthesized with >90% yield. The structures of the new compounds are determined by NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. Molecular weights of the polymers are determined from light scattering measurements and found to be Mw = 38,759 g/mol for o-AAPHA polymer and Mw = 31,347 g/mol for p-AAPHA polymer. Good thermal stability of the new compounds derived from their intra- or intermolecular hydrogen bondings suggests their applications as proton-exchange membrane at high temperatures. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 1627–1634, 2006