In order to enhance gas diffusion rates in a porous La(Sr)CoO3 (LSC) cathode, additional mum-sized pores were introduced by sintering a LSC paste containing fine polymer beads (d = 1.2 mum), coated on yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte. A thin and dense samaria-doped ceria interlayer was used to avoid unfavorable solid-state reactions between LSC and YSZ. Control of the microstructure of LSC cathode appreciably lowered the IR-free overpotential without an increase of the ohmic resistance. The performance of the LSC cathode with optimized microstructure was enhanced further with highly dispersed Pt catalysts at 3 wt % loading, especially at low operating temperature. The current density on the Pt-LSC cathode at an overpotential of -50 mV was 1 A/cm(2) at 800 degreesC in air.