Solid oxide fuel cells are fabricated by two-step sintering at low temperature by controlling the morphology of the gadolinium-doped cerium oxide (GDC) electrolyte powders. The GDC electrolyte was synthesized by a hydrothermal route to obtain highly reactive nanorods that can fully densify at temperatures around 1150 ??C. The developed system consists of the GDC electrolyte support, lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (LSCF) cathode and Ni/GDC anode. The electrolyte support was prepared by uniaxial die pressing and sintered at 1150 ??C, and fuel cells were obtained by co-sintering electrode layers at the same temperature. The performance of the cell was evaluated in hydrogen at intermediate temperatures (IT). The experimental results indicate that high-performance IT-SOFC can be obtained at low sintering temperatures by controlling the morphology of electrolyte powder.Funda????o de Amparo ?? Pesquisa do Estado de S??o Paulo (FAPESP)FAPESP: 16/07156-4; 17/11937-4; 14/09087-4; 14/50279-4