Proton exchange membrane materials based on sulfonated poly ether ether ketone (SPEEK) with Methyl Cellulose (MC) are developed by solution cast technique and exposed to UV radiation with Bezoin Ethyl Ether (BEE) as photoinitiator. The addition of MC into SPEEK polymer enhances the conductivity up to 8.7 x 10(-3) Scm(-1) at 30 degrees C temperature and 80% relative humidity. This new crosslinked hybrid membrane shows good prospect for the use as proton exchange membrane in fuel cell. (C) 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.