A screen printing technique was developed to deposit Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 (SDC) electrolyte films onto NiO/SDC anode substrates. After co-firing the anode/film bilayers at 1400 degrees C for 4 h, pure Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3 (BSCF), BSCF/SDC and BSCF/Ag were screen-printed onto the sintered SDC films, respectively, to complete the single SOFC fabrication. Impedance measurements show that the area-specific resistance (ASR) for BSCF, BSCF/Ag and BSCF/SDC is 0.08, 0.12 and 0.22 Omega cm(2) at 600 degrees C, respectively. The cell with pure BSCF cathode provides a maximum power density of 1.08 Wcm(-2) at 600 degrees C using hydrogen as fuel and stationary air as oxidant. The cells with BSCF/SDC and BSCF/Ag composite cathodes give the maximum power densities of 0.54 and 0.59 Wcm(-2) at 600 degrees C, respectively. The results indicate that the SOFCs with BSCF-based cathodes show excellent performance below 600 degrees C. Screen printing is a promising approach for thin electrolyte film fabrication. The effect of cathode materials on the cell performance is electrochemically tested and discussed. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.