Patent ID: 8298720

Claim:
A proton conductor comprising a porous body having pores for holding proton-conducting polymers therein, the proton-conducting polymers each comprising a linear main chain and a plurality of branched side chains, wherein each of said branched side chains is bonded to said main chain at one end and bonded to a proton-conducting salt at another end, said branched side chains extend radially from said main chain, and said salts of different branched side chains are circumscribed by a virtual circle having a center on the cross-sectional center of said main chain such that a radial direction of the virtual circle is perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of said main chain, wherein said proton-conducting polymers that are adjacent to each other have the virtual circles which contact each other, wherein said proton-conducting polymers are covalently bonded to said pores and wherein protons are transferred between adjacent salts to achieve proton conduction.