Preparation of ion exchange membranes by radiation grafting of acrylic acid on FEP films

Ion exchange membranes were prepared by radiation induced graft polymerization of acrylic acid on FEP films using preirradiation method. The influence of the ferrous sulfate and monomer concentration on the degree of grafting was investigated. Divinylbenzene, tetraethyleneglycol dimethacrylate and methylene bisacrylamide were used as crosslinkers. The membranes were characterized by FTIR, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray diffraction analysis. The swelling bahavior and specific resistivity of membranes as function of the degree of grafting and crosslink nature were evaluated. These crosslinkers had influence on the swelling and the specific resistivity of membranes depending on their chemical nature.