Most polymer grafts in grafted polymer fi lms obtained by radiation-induced solid graft polymerization are not analyzed in detail due to diffi culties in isolation of the grafts without structural decomposition. Herein, a novel structural and molecular weight characterization method is reported for polymer grafts that are chemically attached to thermally and chemically stable polymer substrates, based on a swelling-induced graft detachment in hot water. Polymer grafts prepared by the radiation-induced polymerization of alkyl acrylate into poly(ethylene-co -tetrafl uoroethylene) (ETFE) followed by a sulfonation reaction are found to have a ternary copolymer structure whose monomer units contain -COOH or -SO 3 H groups, or both. fuel-cell polymer-electrolyte membranes for mobile power, vehicles and domestic cogeneration systems. [ 2 , 3 , 6-16 ] The analysis of the chemical structures and molecular weights of the grafts in grafted fi lms prepared by radiationinduced graft polymerization and the subsequent solidstate chemical transformations is restricted to degradable or soluble polymer substrates, such as poly(ethylene oxide), poly(butylene oxide) and natural polymers. [17][18][19] However, grafts introduced into practical polymer substrates are generally thermally and chemically stable, and, thus, cannot be isolated from the substrates for detailed analysis. Recently, we found that the poly(styrenesulfonic acid) (PSSA) grafts in fl uorinated polymer substrates can be successfully isolated in water at 85 ° C by the swellinginduced detachment of the hydrophilic grafts from the hydrophobic polymer substrates without decomposition of the side chains and main chains (thus maintaining the molecular weights). These results were confi rmed by performing UV-vis and NMR spectroscopy. [ 20 ] We have reported previously that graft-type polymerelectrolyte membranes (PEMs) consisting of alkylsulfonic acids were synthesized by the radiation-induced graft polymerization of methyl acrylate (MA) into a poly(ethylene-co -tetrafl uoroethylene) (ETFE) fi lm,