Radiation‐grafted solid polymer electrolyte membrane: thermal and mechanical properties of sulfonated fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymer (FEP)‐graft‐acrylic acid membranes

Acrylic acid was grafted onto fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymer (FEP) using a simultaneous radiation technique and the resulting membranes were subsequently sulfonated. Thermal and mechanical properties of these membranes were investigated and were found to be strongly influenced by the degree of grafting. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of these membranes showed that these membranes undergo multistep degradation unlike virgin FEP which degrades in a single step. Glass transition temperature and degree of crystallinity were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Glass transition temperature increased while crystallinity decreased with increase in degree of grafting. Tensile strength and elongation at break were found to decrease on grafting and further on sulfonation. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.