Preparation of strong acid cation-exchange membrane using radiation-induced graft polymerisation

Polyethylene (PE) sheet modified with acrylic acid (AA) was grafted with p-vinyl benzene sulphonic acid sodium salt hydrate (SSS) using 60Co γ-rays in a direct grafting method in the presence of air at ambient temperature. It was observed that increasing dose results in increase of SSS grafting. Changes in surface area, thickness, ion-exchange capacity and water uptake with respect to dose were also evaluated. The grafting was confirmed by FTIR studies. The ion-exchange capacity of the grafted membrane under the conditions was 5.5-5.8 milli equivalent per gram (meq/g) which is better than most of the commercially available membranes.