Fluorocopolymer material with sulfonic acid functional groups as a solid polyelectrolyte for use in fuel cells

Abstract

The invention is a material for a solid polyelectrolyte, comprising a multi-segmented fluoropolymer that comprises a block copolymer and/or a graft copolymer, wherein the copolymer contains one or more blocks essentially consisting of segment A and one or more blocks essentially consisting of segment B, the segment A combines with the segment B, wherein the segment A has a molecular weight of 5,000 to 1,000.000, and the Segment A is a copolymer chain comprising (a) an ethylenicfluoromonomer containing sulfonic acid functional groups each represented by Formula (1) CX═CX—(O)—Rf—SOY, wherein X and Xmay be the same or different and are each hydrogen or fluorine; Y is FI, Cl, or OYwherein yis hydrogen, alkali metal or C-Calkyl; Rf is Cto Cdivalent fluoroalkylene or Cto Cdivalent fluoroalkylene having one or more ether bonds; and n is 0 or 1; and (b) at least one type of ethylenic fluoromonomer copolymerizable with the ethylenic fluoromonomer (a) and containing no sulfonic acid functional groups, the segment B is a fluoropolymer containing no sulfonic acid functional groups, has a molecular weight of 3,000 to 1,200,000, and has a crystalline melting point of 100° C. or higher or a glass transition point of 100° C. or higher, wherein the ratio of segment A:segment B in the segmented fluoropolymer is 5:9˜to 98:2 30:70 to 90:10 wt. %.