Ln electrochemical devices, such as direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) or proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), it is necessary to reduce Pt loading to 0.3 mg/cm(2) at the electrodes. Furthermore, partial Pt replacement by other electrocatalysts is desirable. Use of ceramic compounds as electrodes might be an important technology innovation. The transition metal perovskite oxides LaNiO3-delta, SmCoO3, which have been selected as candidate materials for this application, are metallic conductors and some undergo metallic-semiconductor transitions. The combustion synthesis method is used to prepare the corresponding powders. Specific surface areas as high as 10 m(2)/g and average particle size of the order of 10 nm were achieved. depending on precursors/fuel rate used. The as-prepared powders were XRD amorphous. The electrical characterisation of these materials was carried out by Complex Impedance Spectroscopy on four-probe arrangement samples. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.