KEY WORDSIonomer / Titanium / Zirconium / Niobium / Ionomers are crosslinked polymeric materials consisting of a hydrophobic backbone and a small amount of acid groups neutralized by metal cations. Ionomers have been done on a large number of studies, 1-4 having the interesting feature that the structures and properties can be varied by changing the types of counter ions, a constituent of the matrix copolymer, and the degree of neutralization. Crosslinking by metal ions is an effective method for controlling the mechanical properties and enhancing the heat-resistance of the host polymers. However, most investigations on the use of metal ions for crosslinking have dealt with ionomers containing alkali metals or divalent ions such as alkaline earth and transition metals, leaving ionomers containing tetravalent metal ions remain largely uninvestigated. The few examples include halato-telechelic polyisoprenes crosslinked by titanium(IV) (Ti 4þ ) and zirconium(IV) (Zr 4þ ), 5-7 poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid) crosslinked by Ti 4þ and Zr 4þ , 8 and acrylate ionomers dispersions crosslinked by Zr 4þ . 9 In particular, to the best of the authors' knowledge, there has been no study of pentavalent ionomers. In view of this, the authors have begun investigating in detail ionomers with metal ions of high valence.In order to study the physical properties of ionomers containing tetravalent and pentavalent metal ions, poly(ethyl acrylate-co-acrylic acid) crosslinked by Ti 4þ and Zr 4þ , and poly(methyl methacrylate-comethacrylic acid) crosslinked by Niobium(V) (Nb 5þ ) were prepared in this study, and their structures and viscoelastic behavior were investigated. The effect of the kind of metal ion on the mechanical properties and heat-resistance of the host polymer is also discussed.