A novel preparation method for self-humidifying membranes of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) was developed. Using solution-cast method, PTFE porous substrates in these composite membranes can increase their strength and distribute self-humidifying layers adjacent to the anode side. Compared with the cells fabricated with ordinary membranes, the performance of the cells with these self-humidifying proton exchange membranes (PEMs) are dramatically improved in both cell voltage and the current density under dry conditions, and the cell using the Pt/C-PEM shows the best and most stable performance. EIS technique revealed that these self-humidifying composite membranes could minimize membrane conductivity loss under dry conditions. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.