Electrochemical performance and stability of co-synthesized Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3-Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 oxygen electrode (SSC-SDC) are investigated in half-cell under successive cathodic-anodic-cathodic-anodic polarizations for use in reversible solid oxide fuel cells (RSOFCs) for the first time. The results show that the coarsening and agglomeration of co-synthesized SSC-SDC electrode particles under cathodic polarization are responsible for its performance degradation. However, degraded performance caused by cathodic polarization could be compensated by the subsequent anodic polarization due to the disintegration of agglomeration, finally leading to relatively stable performance under alternate cathodic-anodic polarizations. Consequently, the electrochemical performance of co-synthesized SSC-SDC electrode can be manipulated reversibly by successive cathodic-anodic-cathodic-anodic polarization operations, indicating the co-synthesized SSC-SDC is a promising oxygen electrode candidate for RSOFCs. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.