Positive Electrode Performance of All-Solid-State Battery with Sulfide Solid Electrolyte Exposed to Low-Moisture Air

All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) using sulfide solid electrolytes (SEs) are attractive candidates as next-generation energy devices having longer lifetimes than liquid-type lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) using organic solvents. Sulfide SEs are known that to suffer a decrease in their ionic conductivity and generate toxic hydrogen sulfide when exposed to moisture even in an environment such as in a dry room. However, the influence of the exposure to moisture on the ASSB cell performance has not been fully elucidated so far. Aiming at filling this gap of knowledge, this paper describes the investigation of the influence of moisture on the durability of an ASSB positive electrode with sulfide SE unexposed or exposed to dry-room-simulated air with dew point of −20 °C in this study. After the cell durability evaluation, time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) measurements were performed on positive electrode, and a characteristic degradation mode was observed in the cell using the exposed SE

Tracheoesophageal Fistula Closed by Chemoradiotherapy in Lung Cancer

A 45-year-old man complaining of cough, dyspnea, and difficulty in swallowing was referred to our hospital. Chest CT scan showed a mediastinal mass compressing the trachea. He was diagnosed with poorly differentiated lung carcinoma by percutaneous needle biopsy. Bronchoscopy and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF). Long-lasting febrile neutropenia made it impossible to continue chemotherapy, but a course of radiotherapy (total 61 Gy) was completed. The next endoscopy revealed closure of the TEF. Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) has been reported to close TEF in esophageal cancer, but the risk of a CRT-induced worsening of the fistula has dissuaded physicians from using CRT to treat TEF in lung cancer patients. CRT may serve as a palliative treatment for TEF in lung cancer as well as esophageal cancer

AC Impedance Analysis of the Degeneration and Recovery of Argyrodite Sulfide-Based Solid Electrolytes under Dry-Room-Simulated Condition

Toward the development of all-solid-state batteries with enhanced performance, this study describes the investigation of the degeneration mechanism under low-humid conditions of an argyrodite-type sulfide-based solid electrolyte. The degeneration of the electrolyte with moisture occurs even under the condition of super-low humidity in a dry room with a dew point (dp) as low as −50 °Cdp. Formation of hydrogen sulfide is detected when the electrolyte is exposed to dry air with −20 °Cdp. The results of impedance measurements suggest that the grain surface of the electrolyte is degenerated with moisture, resulting in a decrease in the lithium-ion conductivity at the grain boundary. The degenerated electrolyte surface can be partially recovered by heating at 170 °C in vacuo, although a small degeneration in bulk may occur in the heating process

Outcomes in Newly Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation and History of Acute Coronary Syndromes: Insights from GARFIELD-AF

BACKGROUND: Many patients with atrial fibrillation have concomitant coronary artery disease with or without acute coronary syndromes and are in need of additional antithrombotic therapy. There are few data on the long-term clinical outcome of atrial fibrillation patients with a history of acute coronary syndrome. This is a 2-year study of atrial fibrillation patients with or without a history of acute coronary syndromes