Yttria-stabilized zirconia films have been deposited onto doped ceria discs for fuel cell applications, The deposition is achieved by hydrolysis-assisted pyrolysis reactions in a low-pressure reactor. Film cracking can be alleviated by reducing the substrate temperature continuously during deposition. A model analysis of the kinetic data provides insight into the nature of the hydrolysis-;assisted pyrolytic deposition reactions. Compared with structures made by sputtering and the set-gel process, significant improvements in open-circuit voltages are observed.