A simple and effective slurry spin coating approach was developed for fabricating Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 (SDC) films on porous NiO-SDC anode substrates. A dense SDC film with a thickness of similar to 15 mu m was obtained after sintering at 1400 degrees C for 4 h. With the same approach, the novel Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-delta (BSCF)-SDC composite cathode layer was fabricated on the film. When dry hydrogen was used as the fuel and stationary air as the oxidant, maximum power densities of the cell were 648 mW cm(-2) at 600 degrees C and 869 mW cm(-2) at 650 degrees C, respectively. AC impedance analysis indicated that the resistance of the cell under open-circuit conditions was essentially dominated by the interfacial resistance. The activation energies of the interfacial resistance and the ohmic resistance were 99.49 and 54.30 W mol(-1), respectively. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.