Lanthanum nickelate LaNiO3 (LNO) nanocrystalline films have been grown by the metalorganic chemical liquid deposition (MOCLD) technique using lanthanum acetate and nickel acetate as the starting materials. The technique simplified the process of preparation for LNO thin films by chemical solution routes. XRD measurements showed that the LNO films deposited on Si, SiO2/Si and Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates exhibit preferential (10 0) orientation. The effects of pyrolysis temperature and thickness on (100)-orientation parameters of LNO films were investigated. The lowest resistivity film was obtained by annealing at 750 degrees C. The effects of thickness and annealing temperature on resistivity of the LNO films have been discussed. PbZr0.4Ti0.6O3 (PZT) films deposited onto LNO films displayed a good P-E hysteresis characteristic and fatigue free to 10(8) fatigue cycles. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.