Inducing High Ionic Conductivity in the Lithium Superionic Argyrodites Li_6+<i>x</i>P_1-<i>x</i>Ge_<i>x</i>S₅I for All-Solid-State Batteries

Solid-state batteries with inorganic solid electrolytes are currently being discussed as a more reliable and safer future alternative to the current lithium-ion battery technology. To compete with state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries, solid electrolytes with higher ionic conductivities are needed, especially if thick electrode configurations are to be used. In the search for optimized ionic conductors, the lithium argyrodites have attracted a lot of interest. Here, we systematically explore the influence of aliovalent substitution in Li6+xP1–xGexS5I using a combination of X-ray and neutron diffraction, as well as impedance spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. With increasing Ge content, an anion site disorder is induced and the activation barrier for ionic motion drops significantly, leading to the fastest lithium argyrodite so far with 5.4 ± 0.8 mS cm–1 in a cold-pressed state and 18.4 ± 2.7 mS cm–1 upon sintering. These high ionic conductivities allow for successful implementation within a thick-electrode solid-state battery that shows negligible capacity fade over 150 cycles. The observed changes in the activation barrier and changing site disorder provide an additional approach toward designing better performing solid electrolytes

Insights into the Lithium Substructure of the Superionic Conductors Li3YCl6 and Li3YBr6

The recent interest in the halide-based solid electrolytes Li3MX6 (M = Y, Er, In; X = Cl, Br, I) shows these materials to be promising candidates for solid-state battery application, due to high ionic conductivity and large electrochemical stability window. However, almost nothing is known about the underlying lithium sub-structure within those compounds. Here, we investigate the lithium sub-structure of Li3YCl6 and Li3YBr6 using temperature-dependent neutron diffraction. We compare compounds prepared by classic solid-state syntheses with a mechanochemical synthesis to shed light on the influence of the synthetic approach on the reported yttrium disorder and the resulting surrounding lithium sub-structure. This work provides a better understanding of the strong differences in ionic transport depending on the synthesis procedure of Li3MX6

Can substitutions affect the oxidative stability of lithium argyrodite solid electrolytes?

Lithium ion conducting argyrodites are among the most studied solid electrolytes due to their high ionic conductivities. A major concern in a solid-state battery is the solid electrolyte stability. Here we present a systematic study on the influence of cationic and anionic substitution on the electrochemical stability of Li6PS5X, using step-wise cyclic voltammetry, optical band gap measurements, hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy along with first-principles calculations. We observe that going from Li6PS5Cl to Li6+xP1-xMxS5I (M = Si4+, Ge4+), the oxidative degradation does not change. Considering the chemical bonding shows that the valence band edges are mostly populated by non-bonding orbitals of the PS43- units or unbound sulfide anions and that simple substitutions in these sulfide-based solid electrolytes cannot improve oxidative stabilities. This work provides insights on the role of chemical bonding on the stability of superionic conductors and shows that alternative strategies are needed for long-term stable solid-state batteries

Serum adiponectin and TNFα concentrations are closely associated with epicardial adipose tissue fatty acid profiles in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery

Background: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) releases both adiponectin and TNFα, and these two adipokines play important roles in heart diseases such as coronary arterial disease. The aim of the present study was to clarify whether fatty acid (FA) profiles in EAT are linked to the serum concentration of these adipokines. The relationships between serum adipokine levels and FA profiles in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery were analyzed. Methods: Patients (n = 21) undergoing cardiovascular surgery (11 males, 70.4 ± 9.0 years, BMI 26.0 ± 5.1 kg/m2) were included. EAT samples were taken. We measured clinical biochemical data and FA profiles in venous blood and EAT samples using gas chromatography. Serum adiponectin and TNFα concentrations were also measured. Results: The adiponectin and TNFα levels were not correlated with any fatty acid concentration in serum lipids. In contrast, there was a positive correlation between the serum adiponectin level and epicardial level of nervonic acid (C24:1ω9, r = 0.525, P = 0.025). In multiple regression analysis, adiponectin showed a positive association with the epicardial C24:1ω9 concentration after controlling for age and BMI, or TG, non-HDL-C, and BNP. The serum TNFα concentration was negatively correlated with the epicardial C18:3ω3, C12:0 and C18:0 content. In multiple regression analysis, the serum TNFα concentration showed a positive association with the epicardial C18:3ω3 level (β = −0.575, P = 0.015). Conclusions: These results suggest that there is a close relationship between epicardial FA profiles and serum levels of adiponectin and TNFα. Dietary therapy to target FA profiles may be helpful to modulate inflammation. Keywords: Epicardial fat, Adiponectin, TNFα, Adipose tissue, Cardiovascular surgery, Fatty acids, Nervonic acid, Linolenic aci

Different effects of crizotinib treatment in two non‐small cell lung cancer patients with SDC4::ROS1 fusion variants

Abstract The possibility of stratifying patients according to differences in ROS proto‐oncogene 1 (ROS1) fusion partners has been discussed. This study aimed to clarify the clinicopathological differences between two SDC4::ROS1 positive NSCLC cases who had different responses to crizotinib. Cytology and pathology samples from two NSCLC cases with SDC4::ROS1 who were diagnosed and treated with crizotinib at Nihon University Itabashi Hospital were obtained. Case 1 has been well‐controlled with crizotinib for over 5 years, but case 2 was worse and overall survival was 19 months. Sequencing analysis of ROS1 fusion genes was performed by reverse‐transcription‐PCR and Sanger's sequencing methods. In addition, thyroid transcription factor (TTF)‐1, ROS‐1, Ki67, and phosphorylated extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (pERK)1/2 expression were investigated using immunohistochemistry. Sequencing analysis showed SDC4 exon2::ROS1 exon 32 (exon33 deleted) in case 1, and coexistence of SDC4 exon2::ROS1 exon 34 and SDC4 exon2::ROS1 exon35 in case 2. The Ki67 index was not different, but ROS1 and pERK1/2 expression levels tended to be higher in the tumor cells of case 2 than in case 1. Therapeutic response to crizotinib and patients' prognosis in ROS1 rearranged NSCLC may be related to the activation of ROS1 signaling, depending on ROS1 and pERK1/2 overexpression status, even if the ROS1 fusion partner is the same