Binder free, thin-film LiCoO2 electrodes are prepared by soft solution processing on cobalt and nickel substrates in a home- made solution containing lithium and cobalt ions. By controlling the current density of 0-5 mA/cm(2) temperature of 100 degreesC, and time of 20 h, single-phase LiCoO2 films are synthesized. The structure, chemical composition, and electrochemical activity are studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction pattern analysis (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The fabricated films exhibit a good crystallinity and a strong preferred orientation. For films on cobalt, grains are (003) oriented, while for films on nickel, the percentage of (101) oriented grains increase greatly. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.