Abstract: Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) have the advantages of being green, sustainable and having high power, which is one of the important means of solving the problem of environment and energy. As the core part of PEMFC, the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) is an important place for multiphase material transfer and electrochemical reaction such as electron, proton, reaction gas and product water. Design and preparation of MEA with high activity and high durability is very important to improve the performance of PEMFC and reduce its manufacturing cost. The methods to improving the performance of MEA were summarized in this paper from three aspects: the improvement of intrinsic activity of catalyst, the structural design of catalyst layer, and the structural design of gas diffusion layer/catalyst layer/proton exchange membrane interface (GDL/CL/PEM), and its future research and development was reviewed and prospected.