| abstract |
The present invention relates, in part, to improved polymer compositions and methods for their preparation. In particular, in one embodiment, a method of preparing a polymer is provided, the method comprising providing a reaction mixture comprising at least a portion of at least one polar monomer and at least one polyvalent cation; Adding the remainder of the polar monomer to the reaction mixture; And polymerizing the monomer to prepare a polymer. In a particular embodiment, the reaction mixture in the providing step comprises at least 2 molar equivalents of the total amount of polar monomers relative to 1 molar equivalent of the polyvalent cation. |