Fuel cell incorporating novel ion-conducting membrane

A water-insoluble membrane comprising a plurality of acid-stable polymer molecules each having at least one ion-conducting polymer segment covalently bonded to at least one flexible connecting polymer segment, said membrane having said ion-conducting polymer segments ordered such that a plurality of continuous hydrogen-ion-conducting channels penetrate the membrane from a first face to a second face, said hydrogen-ion-conducting channels being regions containing anionic species situated in an elastic matrix, said elastic matrix formed by said flexible connecting polymer segments, wherein the flexible connecting polymer segment is chosen from the group ##STR6## and the group ##STR7## and wherein the ionic conducting component is chosen from the group ##STR8## wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 are chosen independently from the group consisting of hydrogen and lower alkyl;

• R.sup.5 is hydrogen, chlorine or lower alkyl;
• R.sup.6 is hydrogen or methyl;
• R.sup.7 is a mixture of hydrogen and a residue chosen from the group consisting of --SO.sub.3 H, --P(O)(OR.sup.8)OH, --R.sup.9 --SO.sub.3 H and --R.sup.9 --P(O)(OR.sup.8)OH where R.sup.8 is hydrogen or lower alkyl and R.sup.9 is lower alkylene;
• Ar is phenyl;
• and
• m, n, p and q are zero or integers from 50 to 10,000.