Nanostructured stretched polytetrafluoroethylene-sulfonated polystyrene (strPTFE-sPS) ion-exchange membranes have been synthesized by sulfonation of the nanocomposite strPTFE-implanted PS films.The implantation of the PS (17-76 wt.%) was implemented by the thermal polymerization of styrene, which was absorbed from a styrene-divinylbenzene-toluene solution in the stretched PTFE film at 90 degrees C. The exchange capacity of the strPTFE-sPS membranes reaches 2.3 mmol g(-1). The proton conductivity of the water -saturated samples was 2-2.5 times higher than that of Nafion-115 and MF-4SC. It is found that the synthesized membranes have a methanol diffusion coefficient and permeability that are 1.5 times lower than those for water. Comparative laboratory tests in a hydrogen-air fuel cell at room temperature showed that the current-voltage and power characteristics of the cell with the strPTFE-sPS membrane substantially exceed those with the Nafion-115 membrane. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.