A silicon-based micro-proton exchange membrane fuel cell (mu-PEMFC) which carries out an outstanding cell performance and high efficient catalyst utilization ratio is proposed in this paper by the employment of three micro-nano synergical techniques. Firstly, a novel design incorporating multi-walled carbon nano-tubes (MWCNTs) on radial shaped micro-channel walls to form micro/nano reaction chambers which significantly enhance the reaction surface areas for the performance improvement. In the second, the dispensing of ionomer onto the three-phase zones in the reaction chambers is controlled by different rotation speed and the optimized distribution can therefore be achieved for the improvement of catalyst utilization. In the third, the cell interfacial strength is greatly enhanced by the employment of micro-interlocks for maintaining excellent interface between Nafion membrane and reaction chambers while minimizing the system size. A mu-PEMFC is successfully fabricated by integrating aforementioned synergical micro/nano structures altogether. The best cell efficiency is 26 mW cm(-2) which corresponds to a catalyst utilization ratio of 38.2 W g(-pt)(-1), and can be considered among the best performed micro-fuel cells. Crown Copyright (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.