The bis((perfluoroalkyl)sulfonyl)imide function possesses remarkable Bronsted acidity and high thermal stability. When incorporated into perfluorinated ionomers, the materials show excellent potential as PEMs for hydrogen - oxygen fuel cells. The many variations possible with the sulfonimide function allows the preparation of ionomers with novel polymer architectures as represented by the general formula The synthesis of the required vinyl ether monomers and their copolymerization by aqueous emulsion with tetrafluoroethylene and polymer properties will be reviewed. Single cell test data utilizing these materials in MEAs will be presented and compared with perfluorinated sulfonic acid ionomers.
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