Gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC, Gd0.1Ce0.9O1.95) Powders with high sinterability are prepared by carbonate coprecipitation and applied in the fabrication of Ni-YSZ (yttria-stabilized zirconia)-supported tubular solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) with a cell configuration of Ni-YSZ/Ni/Ni-GDC/GDC/LSCF(La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-delta)-GDC/LSCF. A high power density (594 mW cm(-2)) at 600 degrees C is achieved using the cell (diameter: 6 mm) prepared by sintering of the electrolyte at 1400 degrees C. This result is attributed to the dense electrolyte and good adherence between GDC and the electrode. The carbonate-derived GDC powders can be sintered to 97% of the theoretical density even at 1050 degrees C, which demonstrates that the fabrication temperature of tubular SOFCs can potentially be lowered by using cost-effective Ni-YSZ supports. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.