Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are widely presented as a sustainable solution to future energy challenges. Nevertheless, SOFCs presently rely on significant use of several critical raw materials to enable optimised reaction kinetics at the device electrodes. This challenge can be addressed through the use of thin-film electrode materials, however this is typically accompanied by complex device fabrication procedures as well as poor mechanical and chemical stability. In this work, we conduct a systematic study of a range of promising thin-film electrode materials based on vertically aligned nanocomposite (VAN) thin films. We demonstrate low area specific resistance (ASR) values of 0.44 cm2 at 650° C can be achieved using (La0.60Sr0.40)0.95Co0.20Fe0.80O3 - (Sm2O3)0.20(CeO2)0.80 (LSCF-SDC) thin films, which are also characterised by a low degradation rate, approximately half that of planar LSCF thin films. We then integrate these LSCF-SDC VAN films directly with commercial anode supported half cells through a single step deposition process. The resulting cells exhibit peak power density of 0.47 W/cm2 at 750° C, competitive with 0.64 W/cm2 achieved for the same cells operating with a bulk LSCF cathode despite 99.5% reduction in cathode critical raw material use. Therefore, the present work marks a valuable step towards the sustainable proliferation of SOFC technology.