TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ELECTRICAL POWER AND ENERGY - Preferred Components: An electrode or an electrolyte is deposited upon the microporous cellular substrate (electrode). The electrochemical cell support structure comprises a coarse microporous cellular substrate on the conductive base; and a fine microporous cellular substrate on the coarse microporous cellular substrate. The coarse microporous cellular substrate supports gas diffusion and the fine microporous cellular substrate supports electrochemical reactivity. Preferred Properties: The holes have a dimension of 0.025-13 mm. The electrochemical cell is a solid oxide fuel cell or a solid oxide electrolysis cell. The substrate has an average pore of 5-30, preferably 10-20 microns. The microporous cellular substrate has an average porosity of 40-85, preferably 50-75%. Preferred Methods: The electrode or electrolyte is deposited using atomistic deposition techniques such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced CVD (PE-CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD), sputter deposition, ion beam deposition, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), spray pyrolysis or particulate deposition techniques such as plasma spray, flame spray, or high-velocity oxygen fuel thermal spray process (HVOF). The microporous cellular substrate is grown on the conductive base using chemical or environmental heat treatment; is pre-manufactured and subsequently attached to the conductive base; and is made by sintering a metallic powder, by filling in macroporous foam with a metallic paste and treated to generate microporous structure, or by spray deposition or tape casting of metallic or metal-precursor particles.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - METALLURGY - Preferred Materials: The conductive base comprises a metallic interconnect made of iron, chromium, nickel, tin, iron chromium, nickel chromium, and/or nickel iron chromium, preferably ferritic stainless steel. The microporous cellular substrate comprises porous nickel, iron, chromium, nickel, and/or tin.