Patent ID: 7737190

Claim:
A grafting process for making a fluorinated ion exchange polymer membrane comprising: (a) forming an monomer composition comprising at least one grafting monomer, in a mixture of water and one or more organic solvent; wherein the grafting monomer comprises one or more of 1a or 1b: wherein Z is chosen from O, S, SO 2 , or POR wherein R comprises a linear or branched perfluoroalkyl group of 1 to 14 carbon atoms optionally containing oxygen or chlorine, an alkyl group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms, an aryl group of 6 to 12 carbon atoms or a substituted aryl group of 6 to 12 carbon atoms; R F is chosen from a linear or branched perfluoroalkylene group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, optionally containing oxygen, sulfur or chlorine; Q is chosen from F, —OM, —NH 2 , —N(M)SO 2 R 2 F , and —C(M)(SO 2 R 2 F ) 2 , wherein M is chosen from H, an alkali cation, or ammonium; R 2 F groups are chosen from alkyl of 1 to 14 carbon atoms which may optionally include ether oxygens or aryl of 6 to 12 carbon atoms where the alkyl or aryl groups may be perfluorinated or partially fluorinated; and k is 0 or 1, n is 1 or 2 for 1a, and n is 1, 2, or 3 for 1b; (b) irradiating at least one base polymer with ionizing radiation, and (c) contacting at least one base polymer with the monomer composition from step (a), at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 120° C. for about 0.1 hours to about 500 hours.