This study used two kinds of proton exchange membranes Gore 5621 and Gore 57 to fabricate 16 cm×16 cm proton exchange membrane fuel cell with serpentine flow field.The performances of both cells were tested experimentally at various operating conditions.The cell performance was found to be closely relative to the membrane hydration,cathode flooding and a proper combination of cell temperature and humidification temperature.At a specified cell temperature and humidification temperature,Gore 57 had better performance than Gore 5621,since thinner membrane Gore 57 can maintain very good hydration with a small amount of water,which made the cell operate at a higher cell temperature and lower humidification temperature.At the lower cell temperature the performance of Gore 57 cell was better with dry air or dry hydrogen than humidified air or humidified hydrogen,while at the higher cell temperature the cell performance was worse with dry air or dry hydrogen.The performance of Gore 5621 cell was worse with dry air or dry hydrogen than humidified air or humidified hydrogen for all cell temperatures,which indicates that for thicker membrane Gore 5621,cathode humidification and anode humidification are all important to improve cell performance.