In order to lower the sintering temperature and shorten firing time, a novel, effective and facile technique has been developed for sintering Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte thin film. Herein this technique, which employs a weak direct current (DC), is used for the first time in the manufacture of the anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). A single cell is directly assembled using a pre-sintered anode/electrolyte and screen printed cathode and subsequently sintered under electric assistance from room temperature to 800 degrees C at a heating rate of 5 degrees C min(-1). A fully dense YSZ electrolyte film can be observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the open circuit voltages (OCVs) are in accordance with theoretical values, confirming that the cell possesses a dense YSZ film. Using hydrogen fuel, the maximum power density of this cell was 0.8, 1.1 and 1.4 W cm(-2) at 650, 700 and 750 degrees C, respectively. We believe this DC assisted sintering technique (DC-AST) may not only reduce the cost, but also maintain the anode nanostructure, thus offering a potentially useful manufacturing technique for SOFCs. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.