TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The ionizable groups (A) and (B) are: sulfonate group, carboxylic group, phosphonate group or amine groups; and same/different. The functionalized carbon nanostructures: comprise sp2 carbon; are in the form of a tube, rod or particle and/or alone; and are present at 0.01-10 wt.%. The functionalization on the carbon nanostructures is sulfonate group.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Components: The polymer is a sulfonated polymer, which are imidazole doped sulfonated poly(ether ketone)methyl benzene, sulfonated polybenzimidazoles, methyl benzenesulfonated poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide), naphthalenic polyimide, perfluorocarboxylic acid, perfluorosulfonic acid, bis(perfluoroalkylsulfonyl)imide, ortho-sulfone animated, polysulfone, sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone), sulfonated poly(4-phenoxy benzoyl-1,4-phenylene) or sulfonated polysulfone, preferably perfluorosulfonated polymer. EXAMPLE - Carbon material (500 mg) was dissolved in dehydrated toluene (250 ml), and iodine (200 mg) and sodium iodide (2.5 g) were added. While stirring up, excessive quantity of methane disulfonic acid chloride (1:6 g) was added. Under argon gas atmosphere, this was stirred up at room temperature for 24-96 hours. Then unreacted impurities were rinsed with a large quantity of toluene, diethyl ether and hexane to obtain a precursor of sulfonic acid type carbon derivative. This precursor was stirred up in 1M sodium hydroxide solution (100 ml) at room temperature for 1-30 hours for hydrolysis. The solution thus obtained was subjected to proton ion exchange, and the sulfonic acid carbon nanotube derivative was obtained. This carbon material was dissolved in dimethyl acetamide and mixed with a solution of Nafion (RTM: Sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene based fluoropolymer-copolymer) in dimethyl acetamide in appropriate amount at 60 degrees C and stirred for 4 hours before casting it as thin uniform membrane. The membranes prepared with 0.1-0.5% of functionalized single walled carbon nano structures with sulfonated polymer.