Interdiffusion phenomena and secondary phase formation at the interface La0.58Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-delta (LSCF) / Gd0.2Ce0.8O2-delta (GDC) / Y0.16Zr0.84O2-delta (YSZ) are correlated to linear and non-linear losses in symmetrical and full SOFC cells. FIB/SEM (focussed ion beam / scanning electron microscopy) tomography is applied for determining the local distribution of the primary phases LSCF, GDC, and YSZ and elemental analysis via STEM/EDXS (scanning transmission electron microscopy / energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) provides information on the secondary phase SrZrO3 (SZO) and the interdiffusion between GDC and YSZ (ID). This reveals the effect of GDC co-sintering temperature (varied from 1100 degrees C to 1400 degrees C), alongside the sintering of LSCF at 1080 degrees C, on these multi-layered microstructures. Electrochemical impedance spectra on symmetrical cells show that the polarization resistance (ASR(cat)) of the cathode/electrolyte interface is pronouncedly affected by three orders of magnitude, changing the overall power density of anode supported SOFC single cells at 0.8V by as much as a factor of 20. In conclusion, the chemical composition of the ID has a tremendous impact on the electrochemical efficiency of the investigated LSCF/GDC/YSZ interface, and processing parameters of anode supported cells with LSCF cathode have to be carefully chosen for individual SOFC cell concepts. (C) The Author(s) 2018. Published by ECS.