NOVELTY - A tubular solid oxide fuel cell assembly (10) comprises a tubular, metallic porous support layer (14); and a tubular, functional layer assembly in concentric adjacent contact with the support layer, and having a wall thickness of less than or equal to 80 mu m. The support layer has sufficient mechanical strength to support the functional layer assembly, sufficient porosity to allow the flow of a reactant through support layer. The support layer and functional layer assembly are in mechanical and electrical contact.    USE - As solid oxide fuel cell assembly useful in small-scale power application and in micro-fuel cell applications.    ADVANTAGE - The fuel cell assembly exhibits better thermal shock resistance and mechanical flexibility than larger-diameter thicker-walled ceramic tubular fuel cells.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - A tubular solid oxide fuel cell assembly (10) comprises a tubular, metallic porous support layer (14); and a tubular, functional layer assembly in concentric adjacent contact with the support layer, and having a wall thickness of less than or equal to 80 mu m. The functional layer assembly contains in concentric arrangement of a ceramic or cermet inner electrode layer (16), a ceramic middle electrolyte layer (18), and a ceramic or cermet outer electrode layer (20). The support layer has sufficient mechanical strength to support the functional layer assembly, and sufficient porosity to allow the flow of a reactant through support layer. The support layer and functional layer assembly are in mechanical and electrical contact. The support layer has sufficient electrical conductivity to collect current during fuel cell operation. The electrolyte composition comprises a material selected from yittria-stabilized zirconia and gadolinium trioxide doped ceria (Gd2O3-doped CeO2) and the electrolyte composition includes at least one sintering additive selected from cobalt oxide, copper oxide and iron oxide; cobalt, copper and iron; bismuth oxide; bismuth based (Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O) ceramic superconductors; and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O. The support layer has sufficient mechanical strength to support the functional layer assembly, sufficient porosity to allow the flow of a reactant through support layer, and a thickness of 20-500 mu m. The support layer composition consists of a material selected from copper, nickel, copper-alloys, nickel-alloys, copper-nickel mixture, copper/ceramic cermet, copper-alloy/ceramic cermet, copper-nickel/ceramic cermet, copper-silver and copper-nickel-silver. An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is included for manufacturing a tubular solid oxide fuel cell assembly involving coating a tubular metallic support layer with a ceramic or cermet inner electrode layer; coating the inner electrode layer with a ceramic electrolyte layer; coating the electrolyte layer with a ceramic or cermet outer electrode layer; then sintering the layers to produce a hollow tubular metal-supported fuel cell; the electrode and electrolyte layers has a collective wall thickness of 80 mu m or less, the support layer having sufficient mechanical strength to support the electrode and electrolyte layers and sufficient porosity to flow a reactant through support layer, where the metal support layer includes combustible additives.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The figure shows a side section view of the fuel cell.    Fuel cell assembly (10)    Substrate (12)    Support layer (14)    Inner electrode layer (16)    Middle electrolyte layer (18)    Outer electrode layer. (20)