One-pot, Radiation-induced Graft Polymerization of Vinylsulfonic Acid onto Poly(ether ether ketone) and High Proton Conductivity of Its Membrane

A poly(vinylsulfonic acid) (PVSA)-grafted poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) was simply prepared by one-pot, gamma-ray radiation-induced graft polymerization of the vinylsulfonic acid (VSA) solution dissolving PEEK. The VSA-highly-grafted PEEK membrane possessed high ion exchange capacity (e.g., 7.2 mequiv g(-1)) and showed proton conductivity in the order of 10(-1) and 10(-3)-10(-6) S cm(-1) under hydrated and nonhumidified conditions, respectively.