The potential application of combustion synthesis Of La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-delta (LSCF) based on a modified ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-citrate complexing method with NH4NO3 as combustion aid for ceramic oxygen separation membrane was systematically investigated. Depending on the relative amount of NH4NO3 applied during the synthesis, the combustion can proceed in three different modes: self-propagating combustion, volumetric combustion and smothering combustion. As a whole, electrical conductivity and oxygen permeation fluxes of derived LSCF membrane increased with sintering temperature (1000-1300 degrees C). Among three different combustion modes, LSCF from self-propagating combustion showed the highest sintering ability, electrical conductivity and oxygen permeability. Under optimized conditions, the derived membrane exhibited the permeation fluxes comparable to that of LSCF membrane prepared from the normal EDTA-citrate complexing method. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.