A through-plane oriented perfluorosulfonate ionomer (PFSI) membrane was fabricated using a magnetic field inducing method. The magnetic field inducing PFSI membrane showed improved fuel cell performance compared to the pristine PFSI and Nafion 212 membranes under the investigated conditions. Especially under low humidity, the M-PM had a superior cell performance over the pristine membrane with a maximum power density more than twice of the latter. The hydrogen permeability of the magnetic field inducing membrane was higher than the pristine membrane under high humidity but much lower than the latter under low humidity. The cell resistance of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) with the magnetic field inducing membrane was lower than that observed with the pristine membrane in the testing range of relative humidity (RH), especially under low humidity. Therefore, the advantages of cell resistance under low humidity brought about the superior fuel cell performance, which may be attributed to the through-plane oriented structure in the magnetic field inducing membrane. In addition, the tensile strength of the magnetic field inducing membrane remained unchanged compared to the pristine membrane. The high performance of the magnetic field inducing PFSI membrane makes it a competitive candidate for PEMFC applications. (C) 2016 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.