Aqueous infiltration methods were used to produce a ceramic composite of 20-vol%La0.7Sr0.3VO3-delta (LSV), 2.1-vol% CeO2, and 0.3-vol% Pd in a porous Ce0.85Sm0.15O2-delta (SDC) scaffold for potential application as Ni-free low-temperature solid-oxide-fuel-cell (SOFC) anodes. At 873 K, cells with mentioned anode composition and La0.8Sr0.2CoO3-delta (LSC) cathodes demonstrated total electrode polarization resistances of 0.3 Omega cm(2) and 0.6 Omega cm(2) in humidified (3% H2O) H-2 and CH4, respectively. Improved anode performance was also achieved by modifying the surface of the porous SDC scaffold through etching with an aqueous HF solution, decreasing the total cell polarization resistances to 0.1 Omega cm(2) and 0.4 Omega cm(2) at 873 K in humidified H-2 and CH4, respectively. The anodes based on LSV-SDC composites exhibited stable performance for at least 40 h under load. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.