The development trend of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and the influence of preparation and characteristics of electrolyte on the operating temperature and conductivity of SOFC are analyzed. The research status of SOFC electrolyte materials is elaborated. The advantages of thermal spraying technology in the preparation of SOFC electrolyte layer are introduced. The application of thermal spraying technology in the preparation of SOFC electrolyte layer materials is reviewed, concluded and expected. By analyzing relevant research results, the reduction of the working temperature is bound to become one of the main directions of SOFC research in the future, and the development of electrolyte materials with high conductivity at medium and low temperatures is the key for future research work. The most widely used high temperature SOFC electrolyte material is fluorite structured yttria stabilized zirconia, and the perovskite doped magnesium and lanthanum gallium silicate is the most promising medium and low temperature SOFC electrolyte material. Thermal spraying technology has a series of advantages such as unrestricted matrix material, fast deposition speed, flexibility and low cost, and has been widely used in the preparation of SOFC electrolyte coatings. For high temperature SOFC electrolyte coatings, plasma spray assisted post-treatment processes or direct optimization of the process can be used to obtain highly dense and high-conductivity electrolyte coatings, while there is still large space in research of thermal sprayed medium and low temperature electrolyte layers.