Artificial diets can manipulate the reproductive development status of predatory ladybird beetles and hold promise for their shelf-life management.

With the development of biological control methods, the predatory ladybird beetle Harmonia axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) has been widely used for pest control in agricultural production. Appropriate shelf-life management strategies could synchronize H. axyridis production with pest outbreaks, finally improving the effectiveness of biological control. Herein, we preliminarily explored whether an artificial diet could optimize the shelf-life management of H. axyridis. We compared the survival rate, nutrition accumulation, reproductive development, juvenile hormone (JH) related-gene expression levels, and stress resistance gene expression levels between aphid-fed and artificial diet-fed H. axyridis females. The results revealed that H. axyridis females maintained a high survival rate after being fed an artificial diet for 60 days, whereas the survival rate of aphid-fed females decreased. Continuous feeding of the artificial diet caused H. axyridis females to enter a diapause-like state, which was characterized by low JH levels, high triglycerides and trehalose accumulation, ovarian development inhibition, decreased Vgs expression levels, and increased stress resistance gene expression levels. This diapause-like state could be promptly recovered upon transferring to an aphid diet. These results indicate that the artificial diet could manipulate the reproductive development status of H. axyridis and lay the foundation for its shelf-life management.

Enhanced evanescent field via integration of a graphene oxide/poly(methyl methacrylate) hybrid film on coreless D-shaped fibers.

This study presents the implementation of an evanescent field (EF)-based sensing platform employing a hybrid film composed of graphene oxide (GO) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), integrated onto coreless D-shaped fibers (cDsFs). The operational framework of the hybrid film-coated cDsFs (GoP-cDsFs) was comprehensively elucidated through theoretical and experimental analyses. To establish a baseline for comparison, the performance of the cDsFs with the sole inclusion of the PMMA film was investigated. Our investigations underscore the substantive role of graphene oxide in augmenting the evanescent field, thereby generating a synergistic effect that contributes to the overall enhancement of the evanescent field in the device. Consequently, the fabricated GoP-cDsF sensor manifests an outstanding sensitivity of -4.936 nm/°C, rendering it particularly well-suited for applications demanding high-sensitivity temperature sensing. Moreover, the unique attributes of the GoP-cDsF position it as a promising candidate for the measurement of both magnetic and electric fields, presenting an effective strategy for multifunctional sensing applications.

Estimating evolutionary and demographic parameters via ARG-derived IBD.

Inference of demographic and evolutionary parameters from a sample of genome sequences often proceeds by first inferring identical-by-descent (IBD) genome segments. By exploiting efficient data encoding based on the ancestral recombination graph (ARG), we obtain three major advantages over current approaches: (i) no need to impose a length threshold on IBD segments, (ii) IBD can be defined without the hard-to-verify requirement of no recombination, and (iii) computation time can be reduced with little loss of statistical efficiency using only the IBD segments from a set of sequence pairs that scales linearly with sample size. We first demonstrate powerful inferences when true IBD information is available from simulated data. For IBD inferred from real data, we propose an approximate Bayesian computation inference algorithm and use it to show that poorly-inferred short IBD segments can improve estimation precision. We show estimation precision similar to a previously-published estimator despite a 4 000-fold reduction in data used for inference. Computational cost limits model complexity in our approach, but we are able to incorporate unknown nuisance parameters and model misspecification, still finding improved parameter inference.

B Cells and IL-21-Producing Follicular Helper T Cells Cooperate to Determine the Dynamic Alterations of Premetastatic Tumor Draining Lymph Nodes of Breast Cancer.

Metastasis is the major cause of cancer-related death, and lymph node is the most common site of metastasis in breast cancer. However, the alterations that happen in tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLNs) to form a premetastatic microenvironment are largely unknown. Here, we first report the dynamic changes in size and immune status of TDLNs before metastasis in breast cancer. With the progression of tumor, the TDLN is first enlarged and immune-activated at early stage that contains specific antitumor immunity against metastasis. The TDLN is then contracted and immunosuppressed at late stage before finally getting metastasized. Mechanistically, B and follicular helper T (Tfh) cells parallelly expand and contract to determine the size of TDLN. The activation status and specific antitumor immunity of CD8+ T cells in the TDLN are determined by interleukin-21 (IL-21) produced by Tfh cells, thus showing parallel changes. The turn from activated enlargement to suppressed contraction is due to the spontaneous contraction of germinal centers mediated by follicular regulatory T cells. On the basis of the B-Tfh-IL-21-CD8+ T cell axis, we prove that targeting the axis could activate TDLNs to resist metastasis. Together, our findings identify the dynamic alterations and regulatory mechanisms of premetastatic TDLNs of breast cancer and provide new strategies to inhibit lymph node metastasis.

Entropy-Stabilized Layered K0.6Ni0.05Fe0.05Mg0.05Ti0.05Mn0.725O2 as a High-Rate and Stable Cathode for Potassium-Ion Batteries.

Mn-based layered oxides have been considered the most promising cathode candidates for cost-effective potassium-ion batteries (PIBs). Herein, equiatomic constituents of Ni, Fe, Mg, and Ti have been introduced into the transition metal layers of Mn-based layered oxide to design a high-entropy K0.6Ni0.05Fe0.05Mg0.05Ti0.05Mn0.0725O2 (HE-KMO, S = 1.17R). Consequently, the experimental results manifest that the layered structure of HE-KMO is more stable than conventional low-entropy K0.6MnO2 (LE-KMO, S = 0.66R) during successive cycling and even upon exposure to moisture. Diffraction and electrochemical measurements reveal that HE-KMO undergoes a solid-solution mechanism, contrary to the multistage phase transition processes typically exemplified in K0.6MnO2. Benefiting from the stabilized high-entropy layered framework and the solid-solution K+ storage mechanism, the entropy-stabilized HE-KMO not only demonstrates exceptional rate capability but also shows excellent cyclic stability. Notably, a capacity retention ratio of 86% after 3000 cycles can still be sustained at a remarkable current density of 5000 mA g-1.

Surface-functionalized boron nanosheets and their assembled suprastructures with unprecedented proton-transport properties.

Two-dimensional (2D) boron nanomaterials have received considerable attention due to their distinct physicochemical properties in contrast to bulk boron. However, the susceptibility to oxidation in air has limited their practical applications. In this study, we synthesize an environmentally stable bifunctionalized boron nanosheet via a wet chemical route. By lyophilization, we have hierarchically assembled the boron nanosheets into various well-ordered macroscopic forms, which exhibit unique structural features, such as stacking-induced nanochannels for proton transport. The resulting suprastructures show exceptionally high proton conductivity (∼90 mS cm-1 at 85 °C) and humidity sensitivity (response >40 000% at 97% RH). These findings demonstrate the immense potential of boron nanomaterials in electrochemical applications.

The lysosome-mitochondrion crosstalk engaged in silver nanoparticles-disturbed mitochondrial homeostasis.

Given their increasing industrial and biomedical applications, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have become widely present in the environment. However, to date, studies on their potential health risks have been far from sufficient, especially those regarding their neurotoxic effects. This study investigated the neurotoxic effects of AgNPs on neural PC-12 cells in the context of mitochondria, which play an important role in AgNP-induced cellular metabolism disturbance and even cell death. Our results show that the endocytosed AgNPs, and not extracellular Ag+, appear to directly determine cell fate. Importantly, endocytosed AgNPs led to mitochondrial swelling and vacuolation without direct interaction. Although mitophagy, a selective autophagy process, was invoked to rescue damaged mitochondria, it failed to function in mitochondrial degradation and recycling. Discovery of the underlying mechanism showed that the endocytosed AgNPs could directly translocate into lysosomes and then cause lysosome perturbation, which is the main factor leading to mitophagy blockade and the subsequent accumulation of defective mitochondria. After lysosomal reacidification via cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), AgNP-induced dysfunctional autolysosome formation and disturbed mitochondrial homeostasis were reversed. In summary, this study reveals that lysosome-mitochondrion crosstalk is a main mechanism for AgNP-induced neurotoxic effects, offering an inspiring perspective on the neurotoxic effects of AgNPs.

Construction and Validation of a Novel Nomogram for Predicting the Recurrence of Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma Treated with R-CHOP.

Purpose: To explore recurrence-risk factors of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and construct a risk nomogram for predicting recurrence. Patients and Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 228 DLBCL patients who achieved complete remission after R-CHOP treatment between January 2015 and December 2019. Univariate and multivariate analyses were applied to identify recurrence-related risk factors from the pretreatment evaluation factors covering patients' demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, serological indicators, pathological and immunohistochemical results. A nomogram was developed based on the above results and validated by the concordance index (C-index), the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the calibration curve. Results: The training and validation cohorts consisted of 160 and 68 patients (randomized by 7:3). Of the whole cohort, 50 of 228 (21.9%) cases recurred during follow-up. Three recurrence-risk factors including BCL2 expression (P = 0.027), CD10 expression (P = 0.021), LDH level (P = 0.004) were identified from multivariate analysis and entered the final nomogram. The C-index of the nomogram was 0.815 in training cohort and 0.797 in the validation cohort, higher than that of IPI system (0.699) and NCCN-IPI system (0.709). And the 1-year, 2-year, 3-year, and 4-year areas under ROC (AUC) were 0.812, 0.850, 0.837, and 0.801, respectively. The calibration curves also showed a good discrimination capability and accuracy. Conclusion: The novel nomogram incorporating the three independent risk factors (BCL2 expression, CD10 expression and LDH level) provided a valuable tool for predicting DLBCL recurrence.

Oxygenated Triazine-Heptazine Heterostructure Creates an Enormous Ascension to the Visible Light Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Performance of Porous C3 N4 Nanosheets.

A highly efficient g-C3 N4 photocatalyst is developed by a novel one-pot thermal polymerization method under a salt fog environment generated by heating the aqueous solution of urea and mixed metal salts of NaCl/KCl, namely SF-CN. Thanks to the synergistic effect of the oxygenation and chemical etching of the salt fog, the obtained SF-CN is an oxygenated ultrathin porous carbon nitride with an intermolecular triazine-heptazine heterostructure, meanwhile, shows enlarged specific surface area, greatly enhanced absorption of visible light, narrowed band gap with a lower conduction band, and an increased photocurrent response due to the effective separation of photogenerated holes and electrons, comparing to those of pristine g-C3 N4 . The theoretical simulations further reveal that the triazine-heptazine heterostructure possesses better photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (PHE) capability than pure triazine and heptazine carbon nitrides. In turn, SF-CN demonstrates an excellent visible light PHE rate of 18.13 mmol h-1  g-1 , up to 259.00 times of that of pristine g-C3 N4 .

Bio-inspired nacre-like composites with excellent mechanical properties, gas-barrier function and fire-retardant performances based on self-assembly between hyperbranched poly(amido amine)s and montmorillonite.

The fabrication of mechanically robust multifunctional nanocomposite (NC) films using simple but effective strategies is a long-term challenge. Inspired by natural nacre, we designed and fabricated high-performance nacre-like NC films (Na-MTM/HBP) through the self-assembly of the hyperbranched poly(amido amine) (HBP) and montmorillonite (Na-MTM) using a vacuum filtration approach. The optimal Na-MTM/HBP NC film shows excellent mechanical strength (106 MPa), which can be attributed to the formation of numerous hydrogen bonds and the electrostatic interactions between hyperbranched HBP and Na-MTM nanosheets. Such films also exhibit excellent gas barrier and fire-fire-retardant owing to the high aspect ratio of the Na-MTM nanosheets. In this work, a class of high-performance NC films exhibiting good mechanical, gas barrier, and flame retardancy properties have been developed. These NC films have great potential in packing or coating materials.

Honeycomb-Layered Oxides With Silver Atom Bilayers and Emergence of Non-Abelian SU(2) Interactions.

Honeycomb-layered oxides with monovalent or divalent, monolayered cationic lattices generally exhibit myriad crystalline features encompassing rich electrochemistry, geometries, and disorders, which particularly places them as attractive material candidates for next-generation energy storage applications. Herein, global honeycomb-layered oxide compositions, Ag2 M2 TeO6 ( M = Ni , Mg , etc $M = \rm Ni, Mg, etc$ .) exhibiting Ag $\rm Ag$ atom bilayers with sub-valent states within Ag-rich crystalline domains of Ag6 M2 TeO6 and Ag $\rm Ag$ -deficient domains of Ag 2 - x Ni 2 TeO 6 ${\rm Ag}_{2 - x}\rm Ni_2TeO_6$ ( 0 < x < 2 $0 < x < 2$ ). The Ag $\rm Ag$ -rich material characterized by aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy reveals local atomic structural disorders characterized by aperiodic stacking and incoherency in the bilayer arrangement of Ag $\rm Ag$ atoms. Meanwhile, the global material not only displays high ionic conductivity but also manifests oxygen-hole electrochemistry during silver-ion extraction. Within the Ag $\rm Ag$ -rich domains, the bilayered structure, argentophilic interactions therein and the expected Ag $\rm Ag$ sub-valent states ( 1 / 2 + , 2 / 3 + $1/2+, 2/3+$ , etc.) are theoretically understood via spontaneous symmetry breaking of SU(2)× U(1) gauge symmetry interactions amongst 3 degenerate mass-less chiral fermion states, justified by electron occupancy of silver 4 d z 2 $4d_{z^2}$ and 5s orbitals on a bifurcated honeycomb lattice. This implies that bilayered frameworks have research applications that go beyond the confines of energy storage.

A novel method for making cell blocks with higher cellular yield.

INTRODUCTION: Cytopathology is an important part of pathology that is used to diagnose disease on the cellular level. The application of the cell block (CB) technique plays a vital role in cytological diagnosis, as blocks and slides can be further used for special stains, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and molecular pathological analysis. Several methods for making CBs have been reported, but their procedures and cellular yield are still deemed unsatisfactory. In this article, we used gellan gum (GG) as an adjuvant for CBs, which resulted in higher cellular yield with simpler procedures. METHODS: CBs were prepared by using GG, copper sulfate, plasma/thrombin, or pregelatinized starch methods. The procedures of each of these four methods were then compared. CB sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), and the background and morphological features seen by H&E staining were compared. A preliminary IHC and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) study was performed using cytology specimens from eleven and five cases, respectively. The expression of immunocomplex by IHC and the molecular signals detected by FISH were compared in CB sections made by the four methods and a section derived from the biopsy specimen block from the same patient. Feulgen staining, Alcian blue staining, and Masson trichrome staining were performed on the CB sections from 3 cases of pleural fluid. The cellular yield of CB sections from 83 cases according to the four methods was compared using NDP analysis software. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that sections derived from CBs made with GG had a clear background and good morphological features by H&E staining. The expression of immunocomplex by IHC and the molecular signals of FISH detection in the sections from CBs made by GG were accurately located just as those in biopsy sections from the same patient. The DNA, acidic mucus, and fibrin could be clearly identified through special stains in the CB sections. The procedures involved in the GG method were easily controllable and the coagulated gel increased the ease by which the CB was embedded and sectioned. Specifically, sections from CBs made by the GG method contained higher cellular yield because cells could be concentrated on the bottom of the gel after centrifugation. CONCLUSION: This novel method for making CBs is a practical, simple method that can result in higher cellular yield. This method is therefore worth promoting in clinical applications.

Protective effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles on spinal cord injury.

The microenvironmental changes in the lesion area of spinal cord injury (SCI) have been extensively studied, but little is known about the whole-body status after injury. We analyzed the peripheral blood RNA-seq samples from 38 SCI and 10 healthy controls, and identified 10 key differentially expressed genes in peripheral blood of patients with SCI. Using these key gene signatures, we constructed a precise and available neural network diagnostic model. More importantly, the altered transcriptome profiles in peripheral blood reflect the similar negative effects after neuronal damage at lesion site. We revealed significant differential alterations in immune and metabolic processes, therein, immune response, oxidative stress, mitochondrial metabolism and cellular apoptosis after SCI were the main features. Natural agents have now been considered as promising candidates to alleviate/cure neuronal damage. In this study, we constructed an in vitro neuronal axotomy model to investigate the therapeutic effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). We found that ZnO NPs could act as a neuroprotective agent to reduce oxidative stress levels and finally rescue the neuronal apoptosis after axotomy, where the PI3K-Akt signaling probably be a vital pathway. In conclusion, this study showed altered transcriptome of peripheral blood after SCI, and indicated the neuroprotective effect of ZnO NPs from perspective of oxidative stress, these results may provide new insights for SCI diagnosis and therapeutics.

m6A-related metabolism molecular classification with distinct prognosis and immunotherapy response in soft tissue sarcoma.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation, one of the most crucial RNA modifications, has been proven to play a key role that affect prognosis of soft tissue sarcoma (STS). However, m6A methylation potential role in STS metabolic processes remains unknown. We comprehensively estimated the m6A metabolic molecular subtypes and corresponding survival, immunity, genomic and stemness characteristics based on 568 STS samples and m6A related metabolic pathways. Then, to quantify the m6A metabolic subtypes, machine learning algorithms were used to develop the m6A-metabolic Scores of individual patients. Finally, two distinct m6A metabolic subtypes (Cluster A and Cluster B) among the STS patients were identified. Compared to Cluster B subtype, the Cluster A subtype was mainly characterized by better survival advantages, activated anti-tumor immune microenvironment, lower gene mutation frequency and higher anti-PD-1 immunotherapy response rates. We also found that the m6A-metabolic Scores could accurately predict the molecular subtype of STS, prognosis, the abundance of immune cell infiltration, tumor metastasis status, sensitivity to chemotherapeutics and immunotherapy response. In general, this study revealed that m6A-regulated tumor metabolism processes played a key role in terms of prognosis of STS, tumor progression, and immune microenvironment. The identification of metabolic molecular subtypes and the construction of m6A-metabolic Score will help to more effectively guide immunotherapy, metabolic therapy and chemotherapy in STS.

Identification of nine signature proteins involved in periodontitis by integrated analysis of TMT proteomics and transcriptomics.

Recently, there are many researches on signature molecules of periodontitis derived from different periodontal tissues to determine the disease occurrence and development, and deepen the understanding of this complex disease. Among them, a variety of omics techniques have been utilized to analyze periodontitis pathology and progression. However, few accurate signature molecules are known and available. Herein, we aimed to screened and identified signature molecules suitable for distinguishing periodontitis patients using machine learning models by integrated analysis of TMT proteomics and transcriptomics with the purpose of finding novel prediction or diagnosis targets. Differential protein profiles, functional enrichment analysis, and protein-protein interaction network analysis were conducted based on TMT proteomics of 15 gingival tissues from healthy and periodontitis patients. DEPs correlating with periodontitis were screened using LASSO regression. We constructed a new diagnostic model using an artificial neural network (ANN) and verified its efficacy based on periodontitis transcriptomics datasets (GSE10334 and GSE16134). Western blotting validated expression levels of hub DEPs. TMT proteomics revealed 5658 proteins and 115 DEPs, and the 115 DEPs are closely related to inflammation and immune activity. Nine hub DEPs were screened by LASSO, and the ANN model distinguished healthy from periodontitis patients. The model showed satisfactory classification ability for both training (AUC=0.972) and validation (AUC=0.881) cohorts by ROC analysis. Expression levels of the 9 hub DEPs were validated and consistent with TMT proteomics quantitation. Our work reveals that nine hub DEPs in gingival tissues are closely related to the occurrence and progression of periodontitis and are potential signature molecules involved in periodontitis.

Mechanically Robust Dual-Crosslinking Elastomer Enabled by a Facile Self-Crosslinking Approach.

We propose a simple but rapid strategy to fabricate self-crosslinked dual-crosslinking elastomers (SCDCEs) with high mechanical properties. The SCDCEs are synthesized through one-pot copolymerization of Butyl acrylate (BA), acrylic amide (AM), and 3-Methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MEMO). Both the amino group on AM and the methoxy group on MEMO can be self-crosslinked after polymerization to form a dual-network crosslink consisting of hydrogen bonds crosslink and Si-O-Si covalent bonds crosslink. The SCDC endow optimal elastomer with high mechanical properties (the tensile strength is 6MPa and elongation at break is 490%) as the hydrogen bonds crosslink can serve as sacrificial construction to dissipate stress energy, while covalent crosslinking networks can ensure the elasticity and strength of the material. These two networks also contribute to the recoverability of the elastomers, leading them to recover their original shape and mechanical properties after being subjected to deformation in a short time.

Nanomaterials alleviating redox stress in neurological diseases: mechanisms and applications.

Overproduced reactive oxygen and reactive nitrogen species (RONS) in the brain are involved in the pathogenesis of several neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain injury, and stroke, as they attack neurons and glial cells, triggering cellular redox stress. Neutralizing RONS, and, thus, alleviating redox stress, can slow down or stop the progression of neurological diseases. Currently, an increasing number of studies are applying nanomaterials (NMs) with anti-redox activity and exploring the potential mechanisms involved in redox stress-related neurological diseases. In this review, we summarize the anti-redox mechanisms of NMs, including mimicking natural oxidoreductase activity and inhibiting RONS generation at the source. In addition, we propose several strategies to enhance the anti-redox ability of NMs and highlight the challenges that need to be resolved in their application. In-depth knowledge of the mechanisms and potential application of NMs in alleviating redox stress will help in the exploration of the therapeutic potential of anti-redox stress NMs in neurological diseases.

Nano-graphene oxide depresses neurotransmission by blocking retrograde transport of mitochondria.

The application of graphene-family nanomaterials (GFNs) in neuromedicine has recently gained increased attention, but the associated exposure risk for synaptic function and the underlying mechanism remains obscure. The results of this study utilizing nanosized graphene oxide (nGO) suggest that they exert depressive effects on neurotransmission, mainly due to energy deficiency at synaptic contacts. Mitophagy is activated but fails to renew mitochondria and maintain mitochondrial-mediated energy metabolism because of blockage of autophagosome transport through the microtubule system from the axonal terminal to the soma. Further investigation of the underlying mechanism indicates that nGO increases the level of microtubule detyrosination, which restrains loading of the dynactin-dynein motor complex onto microtubules and subsequently inhibits the efficacy of the retrograde transport route. Thus, our study reveals the underlying mechanism by which nGO depresses neurotransmission, and contributes to our understanding of the neurobiological effects of GFNs.

Prognostic significance of HSF2BP in lung adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have demonstrated that upregulation of heat shock transcription factor 2 binding protein (HSF2BP) may promote genomic instability, thereby leading to the development of tumors and also providing a potential target for biological antitumor therapy. However, the role of HSF2BP has so far remained unclear in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). METHODS: To explore the function of HSF2BP in LUAD, we collected transcriptome data for 551 lung samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and methylation data for 461 lung samples from the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) genome database, in addition to corresponding clinical information. We used bioinformatic approaches to systematically explore the role of HSF2BP in LUAD, including Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), coexpression analysis, the Tumor IMmune Estimation Resource (TIMER) tool, Connectivity Map (CMap) analysis, and a meta-analysis involving three Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets and one TCGA dataset. RESULTS: Our results found that upregulation of HSF2BP in LUAD was an independent risk factor for the prognosis and diagnosis of LUAD. GSEA analysis showed HSF2BP expression was associated with vital signaling pathways, including the cell cycle, P53 signaling pathway, and homologous recombination. Coexpression analysis revealed 10 HSF2BP-associated genes, including oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Additionally, we found that HSF2BP expression was negatively correlated with B-cell infiltration and had a potential interaction with CD80 in LUAD, which may play an important role in tumor immune escape. Finally, we identified four small-molecule drugs which show promise for LUAD treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The present study found that elevated HSF2BP posed a threat to prognosis in LUAD patients. HSF2BP might have been involved in tumorigenesis by influencing genomic stability and contributing to tumor immune evasion in the tumor immune microenvironment of LUAD. These findings suggest that HSF2BP may provide a vulnerable target for improving and enhancing treatment of LUAD.

Mixed alkali-ion transport and storage in atomic-disordered honeycomb layered NaKNi2TeO6.

Honeycomb layered oxides constitute an emerging class of materials that show interesting physicochemical and electrochemical properties. However, the development of these materials is still limited. Here, we report the combined use of alkali atoms (Na and K) to produce a mixed-alkali honeycomb layered oxide material, namely, NaKNi2TeO6. Via transmission electron microscopy measurements, we reveal the local atomic structural disorders characterised by aperiodic stacking and incoherency in the alternating arrangement of Na and K atoms. We also investigate the possibility of mixed electrochemical transport and storage of Na+ and K+ ions in NaKNi2TeO6. In particular, we report an average discharge cell voltage of about 4 V and a specific capacity of around 80 mAh g-1 at low specific currents (i.e., < 10 mA g-1) when a NaKNi2TeO6-based positive electrode is combined with a room-temperature NaK liquid alloy negative electrode using an ionic liquid-based electrolyte solution. These results represent a step towards the use of tailored cathode active materials for "dendrite-free" electrochemical energy storage systems exploiting room-temperature liquid alkali metal alloy materials.