Perovskite phase dominant SrFeCo0.5Oy ceramic membranes were made from powders prepared by a glycine-nitrate combustion process (GNP). The sample sintered at 1150 degreesC consisted of perovskite and spinel phase. The grain size of the sintered sample increased remarkably with the calcination temperature of the starting powder. The phase composition of a coarse-grained sample remained almost unchanged after annealing at 900 degreesC in air, whereas, annealing of a fine-grained sample resulted in the formation of an intergrowth oxide as a dominant phase. In comparison with solid state reaction (SSR) and sol-gel derived membranes, the GNP-derived membrane exhibited greater oxygen permeability, which could be attributed to the oxygen-deficient perovskite phase that is highly permeable to oxygen. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.