Track structure effect on the ion-track grafting of vinylbenzyl chloride into poly(ethylene--tetrafluoroethylene) films

Nuryanthi, N.*; Yamaki, Tetsuya; Saiki, Seiichi; Kitamura, Akane; Koshikawa, Hiroshi; Yoshimura, Kimio; Sawada, Shinichi; Terai, Takayuki*

This study deals with the ion-track grafting of vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC) into poly(ethylene--tetrafluoroethylene) (ETFE) film irradiated with 560 MeV Xe and 330 MeV Ar for the application to anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFC). The accelerated ions with different masses and energies enabled us to clarify the effect of the LET and radial dose distribution in the track on the ETFE film. The lower-LET Ar ion gave the higher degree of VBC grafting than the higher-LET Xe ion although its radial dose distribution showed smaller track size. This study gave an insight of the importance to study the track structure in relation with the final membrane properties of the AEMFC.