Proton exchange membranes for fuel cell applications prepared by ion track technology

Yamaki, Tetsuya; Kozone, Yuichi*; Hiroki, Akihiro; Hosoi, Katsuhiko*; Asano, Masaharu; Kubota, Hitoshi*; Yoshida, Masaru

Denki Kagaku Oyobi Kogyo Butsuri Kagaku, 75(2), p.175 - 178, 2007/02

https://doi.org/10.5796/electrochemistry.75.175

Proton exchange membranes for use in fuel cells were prepared our original ion-track technology, which involves (1) the swift heavy ion irradiation of polyvinylidene fluoride films and subsequent chemical etching to obtain cylindrical pores, and (2) the filling of proton-conducting polymer chains into the etched pores by -ray-induced graft polymerization. We found that the membranes possessed one-dimensional straight proton conducting pathways parallel to the ion-beam incident axis. Such restricted structures probably led to less water uptake and lower methanol permeability compared to a commercially-available Nafion membrane.