La0.8Sr0.2MnO3-delta (LSM) and LSM-8 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) composite cathodes were fabricated using electrostatic spray assisted vapour deposition (ESAVD) method. The porous cathode layers of LSM and LSM-YSZ with high specific surface areas were obtained by optimizing the deposition parameters. It was found that the introduction of YSZ into LSM decreased the electrochemical impedance significantly. The activation effect of passing current on the electrochemical activity of the LSM-YSZ composite cathodes was much lower than that of the LSM cathodes. For the LSM-YSZ composite cathodes, there was a saturation of current with increasing applied potential at higher temperatures (from 900 to 1000 degrees C). The LSM-YSZ composite cathode fabricated by ESAVD exhibited high electrochemical activity at high and intermediate temperatures (from 800 to 1000 degrees C). This suggests that ESAVD is a promising technique for the fabrication of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathodes. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.