Influence of Ti substitution on the properties of a LiAlGe(PO) nanofiber-based solid electrolyte.

We report the influence of the partial substitution of Ge with Ti on the properties of NASICON LiAlGe(PO) (LAGP) nanofibers prepared by electrospinning. Replacing a small amount of Ge (up to 20%) with Ti is advantageous for enhancing both the purity and morphology of LAGP fibers, as observed by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. When Ti-substituted LAGP (LAGTP) fibers are used as filler to develop composite polymer electrolytes, the ionic conductivity at 20 °C improves by a factor of 1.

Unveiling the Cation Exchange Reaction between the NASICON LiAlGe(PO) Solid Electrolyte and the pyr13TFSI Ionic Liquid.

Recently, the formation of the ceramic-ionic liquid composite has attracted huge interest in the scientific community. In this work, we investigated the chemical reactions occurring between NASICON LAGP ceramic electrolyte and ionic liquid pyr13TFSI. This study allowed us to identify the cation exchange reaction pyr13-Li occurring on the LAGP surface, forming a LiTFSI salt that was detected by the nuclear magnetic resonance analysis.

Thermal evolution of NASICON type solid-state electrolytes with lithium at high temperature scanning electron microscopy.

We present the thermal evolution of two NASICON-type ceramics namely LATP (LiAlTi(PO)) and LAGP (LiAlGe(PO)) by monitoring the electrode-electrolyte interfaces (, Li/LATP and Li/LAGP) at temperatures up to 330 °C scanning electron microscopy, post-mortem energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Upon melting of Li and contacting electrolytes, LAGP decomposes completely to form Li based alloys, while LATP is partially decomposed without alloying.

Phase Transformation of Doped LiCoPO during Galvanostatic Cycling.

In situ X-ray diffraction was employed to investigate the crystal structure changes in Cr/Si co-doped Li(Co,Fe)PO cathode material during a galvanostatic charge/discharge process at a slow rate of C/30. The evolution of the X-ray patterns revealed that the phase transformation between the Cr/Si-Li(Co,Fe)PO and Cr/Si-(Co,Fe)PO is a two-step process, which involves the formation of an intermediate compound of Cr/Si-Li(Co,Fe)PO upon the extraction of Li ions from the pristine phase. Different from the previously reported two biphasic transition steps, the phase transformation of the Cr/Si-Li(Co,Fe)PO followed a solid solution and a biphasic reaction pathway at different stages of the delithiation/lithiation process, respectively.

Diffusion Control of Organic Cathode Materials in Lithium Metal Battery.

Organic cathode materials for lithium batteries are becoming increasingly popular because they have high theoretical redox voltage, high gravimetric capacity, low cost, easy processing and sustainability. However, their development is limited by their solubility in the electrolyte, which leads to rapid deterioration of the battery upon cycling. We developed a Janus membrane, which consists of two layers - a commercial polypropylene separator (Celgard) and a 300-600 nm layer of exfoliated graphite that was applied by a simple and environmentally friendly process.

Electrochemical red-ox therapy of prostate cancer in nude mice.

Minimally invasive therapies are increasingly in demand for organ-confined prostate tumors. Electrochemical therapy (EChT) is attractive, as it relies on locally-induced reduction-oxidation reactions to kill tumor cells. Its efficacy for prostate cancer was assessed in human PC-3 and LNCaP tumor xenografts growing subcutaneously in nude mice (n = 80) by applying 2 Stainless Steel vs.

High infectious burden, low cancer incidence, and early malignancy in developing countries: a molecular hypothesis in term of the role of nitric oxide.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a neurotransmitter which plays a powerful role in the immune system: it kills bacteria, and, it also destroys the tumor cells. Specifically, immune system stimuli gamma interferon and lipopolysaccharide transmit signals to a macrophage nucleus causing the production of nitric oxide synthase, the enzyme that converts arginine to NO. The NO thus produced not only destroys bacteria but also attacks the tumor cells by inhibiting the energy-producing Krebs cycle, electron transport activity and DNA synthesis.

Inverse trend between estimated worldwide frequency of major cancers and inferred infectious burdens of populations: possible role of adaptive immune system.

Regions of the world subjected to heavy infectious burdens seem to show lower incidence of cancer. The index of infectious burden in this study has been chosen to be poverty, i.e.

Observations on the proposed relationship between infection burden and early malignancy in developing countries (e.g., India).

Sastry and Parikh [Med. Hypotheses 60(4) (2003) 573] have recently sought an explanation for the fact that the occurrence of a particular cancer in populations in a developing country such as India takes place at a younger age (about one decade) than in populations in Western countries. They have hypothesized that a higher infectious burden in India gives rise to repeated cell divisions leading to early senescence of immune cells, and, thence their reduced ability for immune surveillance against cancer, resulting in earlier onset of cancer.