Preparation and characterization of anion exchange membranes for fuel cell applications by ion-track grafting polymerization

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

Swift heavy ions with kinetic energies of MeV to GeV will create cylindrical tracks along their trajectories in a polymer film. These tracks of tens to hundreds nanometers in diameter contain free radicals; they can be used as initiators for graft polymerization. The so-called ion-track grafting technique was used for the development of anion exchange membranes (AEMs). The OH conductivities at 60C in the fully-hydrated state were higher for ion-track-grafted membranes than for the conventional -ray-grafted ones at the certain same IEC. Due to a lower diffusion coefficient of OH, improving the conductivity has been one of the most challenging problems in AEM studies. In this sense, we found the ion-track grafting to be very promising.