Four kinds of nickel oxide powder with different microstructure were used as the anode materials for anode-supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The microstructure of the powders was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The performance of the anode-supported SOFCs was investigated through measuring and analyzing the current-voltage characteristics, electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) and microstructure images. It was found that the performance of a Ni-YSZ anode-supported SOFC depends strongly upon the anode microstructure which is decided by the characteristics of nickel oxide powder. The highest SOFC performance was obtained from the cell with the finest nickel oxide powder synthesized by glycine-nitrate combustion method while the lowest performance was with the coarsest powder purchased from a general chemical supplier. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.