Abstract: Abstract：Solid oxide fuel cell（SOFC）is a solid state energy conversion device which can generate electricity with high efficiency and low pollutant emission. Compared to other kinds of fuel cell，one of the most obvious advantages of SOFC is that it can use hydrocarbon fuels directly. Propane is an ideal fuel for SOFCs，especially for portable use，because of its high energy density，storing convenience and delivering safety. Nowadays，portable SOFCs are attracting more and more attention. The development of SOFCs using propane fuel is presented. There are several ways for using propane in SOFCs，including internal reforming，partial oxidation and direct-use by applying proper anode catalysts. The progress of anode materials used in SOFC operating on propane is reviewed. It is shown that most of the research on portable SOFCs using propane has been focused on avoiding carbon deposition caused by pyrolysis of the fuel at elevated operating temperatures，through improving the performance of anode and using proper anode catalyst that can suppress carbon formation reaction in anodes. Then，the R&D status of different kinds of portable SOFCs using propane fuel is introduced. At last，the development prospect of portable SOFCs is forecasted.