Copper appears to be an interesting fuel electrode material for proton-conducting ceramic electrolytes (such as BaZr0.9-xCexY0.1O3-delta) because it is stable at high temperatures in reducing and hydrocarbon-containing atmospheres. However, when deposited using organometallic Cu pastes/inks, these electrodes suffer from poor performance due to delamination issues and coating thickness (10-20 mu m). Alternatively, electroless plating (ELP) is a method of depositing metal films without utilizing electric power that can achieve much thinner coatings than with pastes. In this work ELP of Cu was shown to be an alternative to Cu pastes for electrode fabrication on the non-electrically conductive, proton-conducting ceramic BaZr0.8Ce0.1Y0.1O3-delta. Pd, Ru, and Cu were investigated as activation catalysts, on which Cu was then plated. All three were found to produce thin electrodes (similar to 1 mu m) with good electrode/electrolyte adhesion. Scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, x-ray fluorescence and x-ray diffraction were used to characterize the Cu-based ELP electrodes. Additionally, the ELP process was shown to be transferable to tubular substrates without significant modification to the procedure. (C) 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.