Because phenolic ion exchange resin, polystyrene ion exchange resin and polyacrylic acid ion exchange resin show many excellent properties, the synthesis technology of ion exchange resin has developed rapidly, and inorganic ion exchanger and natural ion exchanger have been gradually replaced by synthetic organic ion exchange resin. In addition to strong acidic and weak acidic cation exchange resins and strong alkaline and weak breaking anion exchange resins of various specifications, redox resins, chelating resins, amphoteric resins, snake cage resins, thermally regenerated resins, magnetic resins, ion exchange membranes, ion exchange fibers, liquid ion exchange resins, etc. were also born. In the 1950s, the synthesis technology of ion exchange resin had new development, and macroporous ion exchange resin appeared. Based on this technology, the synthesis and application of adsorption resins with various specifications and properties have gradually developed.

At present, almost all the ion exchange resins actually used are spherical cross-linked copolymers with a certain degree. Excellent ion exchange resin should have the following characteristics:

1.  It has a certain and relatively uniform particle size and regular shape.
2.  It has high switching capacity.
3. It has a faster ion exchange rate.
4. It has good chemical and thermal stability of bamboo.
5. It has good mechanical strength and friction resistance.
6. It has good anti organic pollution performance and regeneration performance.

With the development of synthesis technology, ion exchange resins with various structures and properties can be designed and synthesized according to the requirements of various applications.

The synthesis methods of ion exchange resin can be divided into addition polymerization and condensation polymerization. At present, the most used is additive ion exchange resin. Among them, crosslinked polystyrene system and crosslinked polyacrylic acid system are the main ones. The vast majority of ion exchange resins are synthesized by suspension copolymerization to synthesize cross-linked copolymer beads, and then introduce the required ion exchange groups through a certain chemical reaction. Only a few ion exchange resins are prepared by direct copolymerization of monomers with functional groups.

The research content involved in the synthesis of ion exchange resin includes not only the physical and chemical structure of resin skeleton, the properties and quantity of groups, but also the synthesis method and post-treatment conditions. These factors have a significant impact on the properties of ion exchange resin. Because the synthesis of ion exchange resin often introduces the required functional groups by heterogeneous reaction, it has both common and unique characteristics with the usual organic synthesis.