The prospects of using multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) membrane as a freestanding gas diffusion media (GDM) in hydrogen proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) has been explored over the conventional GDM of carbon black coated on carbon fiber support. This can have significant implication in developing lightweight, thin, and low cost fuel cells - a step toward increasing its energy and power density. Four different types of membranes are studied for their structure, electrical conductivity, surface area, porous network etc. These were further correlated to their performance in unit PEMFC operated at room temperature. (C) 2014 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.