To improve the overall performance of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) for fuel cells, a series of composite AEMs was prepared via a facile approach using ionic liquid-functionalized graphene oxide (IL-GO) and imidazolium-functionalized poly (2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (ImPPO). The prepared ImPPO/IL-GO-0.5% (0.5% refers to the weight percentage of IL-GO) membranes with an ionic exchange capacity (IEC) of 1.9 meq g(-1) achieved a hydroxide conductivity of 78.5 mS cm(-1). The high conductivity of ImPPO/IL-GO-0.5% is due to the fact that the ionic cluster size of composite membranes (3.43-3.58 nm) is larger than that of the pristine membrane (3.30 nm). The ionic cluster morphology is confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Moreover, the AEMs retained approximately 70% of their initial hydroxide conductivity after the alkaline stability test in a 2M aqueous NaOH at 80 degrees C for 480 h, indicating a good alkaline stability. A single cell using ImPPO/IL-GO-0.5% exhibits a peak power density of 136 mW cm(-2) at 60 degrees C under 100% related humidity, thereby having a great potential for fuel cells.