Carboxylic acid group was introduced by radiation-induced grafting of acrylic acid (AAc) onto polyolefine nonwoven fabric (PNF), wherein the PNF comprises at least about 60% of a polyethylene having a melting temperature at ∼132°C and no more than about 40% of a second polypropylene having a lower melting temperature at ∼162°C, for a battery separator. The AAc-grafted PNF was characterized by XPS, SEM, DSC, TGA and porosimeter. The wetting speed, electrolyte retention, electrical resistance, and tensile strength were evaluated after grafting of AAc. It was found that the wetting speed, electrolyte retention, thickness, and ion-exchange capacity increased, whereas the electrical resistance decreased with increasing grafting yield. The tensile strength decreased with increasing grafting yield, whereas the elongation decreased with increasing grafting yield.