A novel metallic porous medium with improved thermal and electrical conductivities and controllable porosity was developed based on micro/nano technology for its potential application in PEM fuel cells. In this work to demonstrate its applicability, the gas diffusion medium, made of 12.5 mu m thick copper foil, was tested in an operational fuel cell. The small thickness and straight-pore feature of this novel material provides improved water management even at low flow rates. The performance does not decline at lower flow rates, unlike conventional gas diffusion layers. It has been shown that the performance can be further enhanced by increasing the in-plane transport. The improvements of such gas diffusion layer, including pore shape, porosity, and surface properties, are fully discussed. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.