Patent ID: 8658329

Claim:
A polymer electrolyte membrane assembly, comprising, a. a base membrane to provide high proton conductivity, thermal stability, and low reactant permeability, said base membrane comprising a base polymer comprising disulfonated biphenyl poly(arylene ether sulfone), b. an electrode composition to provide electrochemical reactivity, reactant access, product removal, ionic and electronic conductivity, said electrode composition comprising a catalyst and a proton-conducting polymer, wherein the proton-conducting polymer is different than the base polymer; and c. a property-tuning coating layer composition connectively attached to said base membrane and said electrode to provide proton conductivity and material compatibility with said base membrane and said electrode, said property-tuning coating layer composition being selected from the group consisting of a disulfonated hexafluoro bisphenol A based poly(arylene ether benzonitrile) and a fluorinated poly(arylene ether sulfone).