Robust Host Research Articles

"Impossible Trinity" between Efficiency, Stability, and Color Purity for Blue OLEDs: Challenges and Opportunities.

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have become the cutting-edge technology in the display market. However, compared with green and red stacks, blue stacks still remain an obstacle for OLED technology. There seems to be an "impossible trinity" between efficiency, stability, and color-purity for blue OLEDs. In this trilemma, advances in device stability have lagged far behind. In this Perspective, focusing on the critical role of bond-dissociation energy (BDE), we first summarize recent advances in the chemical degradation mechanism of high-efficiency blue OLED materials and then highlight strategies to improve the intrinsic stability and device lifetime from the material point-of-view. Finally, future challenges and opportunities for developing robust blue OLED materials and devices are envisioned, including the rational design of robust blue materials with high BDEs, two-pronged approaches from both thermodynamic and kinetic aspects, the great need for robust host materials, deep insights into host-guest interactions, collaborative efforts from the aspect of devices, and data-driven screening and iteration development.

Cosmic cartography: Bayesian reconstruction of the galaxy density informed by large-scale structure

The dark sirens method combines gravitational waves and catalogs of galaxies to constrain the cosmological expansion history, merger rates and mass distributions of compact objects, and the laws of gravity. However, the incompleteness of galaxy catalogs means faint potential host galaxies are unobserved, and must be modeled to avoid inducing a bias. The majority of dark sirens analyses to date assume that the missing galaxies are distributed uniformly across the sky, which is clearly unphysical. We introduce a new Bayesian approach to the reconstruction of galaxy catalogs, which makes full use of our knowledge of large-scale structure. Our method quantifies the uncertainties on the estimated true galaxy number count in each voxel, and is marginalized over cosmological parameters and bias parameters. Crucially, our method further assesses the (absolute) magnitude distribution of galaxies, which is not known from the galaxy catalog itself. We present the details of our method and validate our approach on a galaxy catalog associated to the Millennium Simulation. The tools developed here generate physically-informed and robust host galaxy reconstructions, enabling more informative dark sirens analyses. Stage IV galaxy surveys will display greater redshift overlap with GW observations, whilst remaining incomplete — emphasizing the importance of our work.

Cutting-Edge Developments in Metal Halide Perovskites Core/Shell Heterocrystals: from Photodetectors to Biomedical Applications.

In recent years, the performance of metal halide perovskite (MHP)-based detectors (photon, biomedical, and X-ray detection) has significantly improved, resulting in higher carrier mobilities, longer carrier diffusion lengths, and excellent absorption coefficients. However, the widespread adoption of halide perovskites has been hindered by issues related to their stability and toxicity. Various strategies have been adopted to address these challenges, focusing on enhancing ambient stability and reducing toxicity by encapsulating MHPs within stable and robust host materials, such as silicon compounds, metal oxides, chalcogenides, and lead-free perovskites. This review focuses on recent developments in hybrid nanostructure-based detectors (photon, biomedical, and X-ray), particularly core/shell architectures, and provides a comprehensive analysis of techniques for mitigating degradation due to light and oxygen exposure, UV irradiance, and thermal effects. This review enhances the understanding of current advancements in core/shell-based detectors.

T-cell Clonality in Pleomorphic Dermal Sarcoma in Male Veterans: A Report of 2 Cases and a Review of the Literature.

The standard treatment of choice for pleomorphic dermal sarcoma (PDS), a relatively uncommon soft tissue sarcoma and 1 morphologically similar to atypical fibroxanthoma, is wide local excision with close clinical follow-up. Studies regarding management of advanced/metastatic PDS with immune checkpoint inhibitors are limited as most STSs have historically been viewed as being immunologically inert. Contradicting this belief, in this report, we describe 2 cases of PDS with a robust host response. Histopathology of both cases revealed a dermal neoplasm comprising mitotically active, pleomorphic, spindled-to-ovoid cells, which were immunohistochemically negative for keratinocytic, melanocytic, and smooth muscle markers. An unusual feature in both cases was the presence of a brisk host response. Additional workup of the infiltrating lymphocyte population revealed an abnormal CD4:CD8 ratio in both cases, with the proportion of CD8+ lymphocytes surpassing (case 1) and equaling (case 2) that of the CD4+ T-lymphocyte population. The increased proportion of CD8+ lymphocytes prompted the additional workup of TCR gene rearrangement, which revealed a clonal population of T lymphocytes in both cases. The robust and clonal T-lymphocyte host response in both of our cases suggests that PDS appears to fit the classic model of an inflammatory-type tumor and may be a candidate for checkpoint inhibition. Future work includes additional reports of cases of PDS with an infiltrating clonal T-lymphocyte population and detailing the function and specificity of the infiltrating T lymphocytes to ascertain whether they have the potential to recognize and lyse the tumors they colonize.

Exploring the Photophysical and Mechanical Behavior of Fluorescent Metal-Organic Framework Monoliths.

Luminescent metal-organic frameworks exhibit great potential as materials for nanophotonic applications because of their programmable properties and tunable structures. In particular, luminescent guests (LG) can be hosted by metal-organic frameworks due to their porosity and guest confinement capacity, forming LG@MOF composite systems. However, such guest-host systems are mainly produced as loose powders, preventing their widespread use in practical devices and technological applications that require implementation of a stable continuum solid. In this regard, using monolithic MOF hosts might be a workable option to solve this challenge. Herein, we reported the facile synthesis and fabrication of novel prototypical sol-gel monolithic systems, designated as LG@monoMOF. Red (rhodamine B), blue (7-methoxycoumarin), and yellow (fluorescein) emitting dyes were encapsulated in a robust UiO-66 monolithic host, resulting in the red, blue, and yellow light-emitting luminescent monoliths. The mechanical and photophysical characterization of the three LG@monoMOF systems was systematically carried out in order to unravel the role of guest-host interactions in the mechanical and optical response of the bespoke LG@monoMOF composites.

Borrelia burgdorferi Secretes c-di-AMP as an Extracellular Pathogen-Associated Molecular Pattern to Elicit Type I Interferon Responses in Mammalian Hosts.

Borrelia burgdorferi , the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, induces a robust host immune response, including the production of type-I interferon (IFN-I). While this response helps combat the infection, it also contributes to complications such as Lyme arthritis. Our research aimed to identify the specific bacterial component that triggers the IFN-I response. We discovered that Borrelia burgdorferi releases a second messenger molecule, cyclic-di-adenosine monophosphate (c-di-AMP), which is recognized by host immune cells and subsequently triggers IFN-I production. This finding is significant as it advances our understanding of Lyme disease pathogenesis and offers a new strategy to tackle Lyme disease by targeting the production of c-di-AMP, in which we may be able to reduce the severity of the disease and mitigate long-term tissue damage. Borrelia burgdorferi c-di-AMP induces Type I IFN response.

Single-cell RNA-sequencing reveals a profound immune cell response in human cytomegalovirus-infected humanized mice

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a common herpesvirus that persistently infects a large portion of the world's population. Despite the robust host immune response, HCMV is able to replicate, evade host defenses, and establish latency throughout the lifespan by developing multiple immunomodulatory strategies, making the studies on the interaction between HCMV infection and host response particularly important. HCMV has a strict host specificity that specifically infects humans. Therefore, most of the in vivo researches of HCMV rely on clinical samples. Fortunately, the establishment of humanized mouse models allows for convenient in-lab animal experiments involving HCMV infection. Single-cell RNA sequencing enables the study of the relationship between viral and host gene expressions at the single-cell level within host cells. In this study, we assessed the gene expression alterations of PBMCs at the single-cell level within HCMV-infected humanized mice, which sheds light onto the virus-host interactions in the context of HCMV infection of humanized mice and provides a valuable dataset for the related researches.

Host Galaxies for Four Nearby CHIME/FRB Sources and the Local Universe FRB Host Galaxy Population

We present the host galaxies of four apparently nonrepeating fast radio bursts (FRBs), FRB 20181223C, FRB 20190418A, FRB 20191220A, and FRB 20190425A, reported in the first Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME/FRB) catalog. Our selection of these FRBs is based on a planned hypothesis testing framework where we search all CHIME/FRB Catalog-1 events that have low extragalactic dispersion measure (<100 pc cm−3), with high Galactic latitude (∣b∣ > 10°) and saved baseband data. We associate the selected FRBs with galaxies with moderate to high star formation rates located at redshifts between 0.027 and 0.071. We also search for possible multimessenger counterparts, including persistent compact radio and gravitational-wave sources, and find none. Utilizing the four FRB hosts from this study, along with the hosts of 14 published local Universe FRBs (z < 0.1) with robust host association, we conduct an FRB host demographics analysis. We find all 18 local Universe FRB hosts in our sample to be spirals (or late-type galaxies), including the host of FRB 20220509G, which was previously reported to be elliptical. Using this observation, we scrutinize proposed FRB source formation channels and argue that core-collapse supernovae are likely the dominant channel to form FRB sources. Moreover, we infer no significant difference in the host properties of repeating and apparently nonrepeating FRBs in our local Universe FRB host sample. Finally, we find the burst rates of these four apparently nonrepeating FRBs to be consistent with those of the sample of localized repeating FRBs observed by CHIME/FRB. Therefore, we encourage further monitoring of these FRBs with more sensitive radio telescopes.

Hybridization of short-range and long-range charge transfer boosts room-temperature phosphorescence performance.

At present, mainstream room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) emission relies on organic materials with long-range charge-transfer effects; therefore, exploring new forms of charge transfer to generate RTP is worth studying. In this work, indole-carbazole was used as the core to ensure the narrowband fluorescence emission of the material based on its characteristic short-range charge-transfer effect. In addition, halogenated carbazoles were introduced into the periphery to construct long-range charge transfer, resulting in VTCzNL-Cl and VTCzNL-Br. By encapsulating these phosphors into a robust host (TPP), two host-guest crystalline systems were further developed, achieving efficient RTP performance with phosphorescence quantum yields of 26% and phosphorescence lifetimes of 3.2 and 39.2 ms, respectively.

Making a healthy choice: Tactical host selection behaviour of a parasitoid wasp

Abstract Host selection behaviour plays a pivotal role in determining the success of parasitoids, especially in environments where host quality varies. In heterogeneous environments, parasitoids frequently encounter hosts that are infected. We conducted experiments to ascertain whether the ecto‐parasitoid Bracon brevicornis can differentiate between healthy caterpillars and those infected with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and examined the implications of this host selection behaviour. In an olfactometer choice assay, B. brevicornis avoided Bt‐infected Spodoptera litura hosts. In a no‐choice assay, the female parasitoid displayed a lower paralysis rate on infected hosts, indicating a strong selection behaviour. Furthermore, we explored the impact of infection duration by exposing female wasps to larvae infected for 24, 48 and 72 h with Bt. Both choice and no‐choice assays demonstrated that female B. brevicornis refrains from ovipositing on infected larvae, regardless of the infection duration. Direct exposure to Bt through consumption did not affect the fitness of the tested parasitoid wasp. However, post‐24‐h Bt infection, host larvae showed an increased total hemocyte density, particularly high phagocytic cell numbers, and enhanced melanization, rendering the host larva unsuitable for parasitoid development. Taken together, our study underscores that parasitoids exhibit robust host selection behaviour by actively avoiding infected hosts. This insight is valuable for devising new pest control strategies in agriculture that safeguard beneficial parasitoids.

Dynamically regulated redox shuttling and nucleation of lithium polysulfides through the built-in ferroelectric field

Sulfur is highly desired for energy storage devices by virtue of its high theoretical specific capacity and natural abundance. Yet the lithium-sulfur battery becomes practically unstable due to the migration of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), which is the major challenge for its widespread application. Here, we demonstrate that the polysulfide redox shuttling can be kinetically buffered, which relies on a rational design of ferroelectric/carbon interfaces in a silica-based host structure. In situ TEM observation shows that a robust sulfur host is constructed by spatially embedding ferroelectric BaTiO3 nanodots within both the shell and bulk of a yolk-shell microsphere. During the electrochemical cycling process, the as-prepared composite material functions as a LiPSs pocket. It facilitates the reversible LiPSs conversion, giving rise to long-term stabilization of lithium-sulfur battery. This is due to the synergetic effect of the built-in polarization electric field and abundant LiPSs nucleation sites at internal ferroelectric/carbon interfaces. Furthermore, we show that the nucleation and growth of Li2Sn can be regulated by the designed polarization electric field in the yolk-shell structure. This study further highlights the potential of physical field towards high-performance lithium-slfur batteries.

Decoration of Ag Species into Reduced Graphene Oxide Foam as a Superelastic and Robust Host toward Stable Zn Metal Anodes under Dwell-Fatigue Condition.

Deep-sea equipment usually operates under dwell-fatigue condition, which means the equipped energy storage devices must survive under the changing pressure. Special mechanical designs should be considered to maintain the electrochemical performance of electrodes under this extreme condition. In this work, an effective assembly strategy is proposed to accommodate the dwell-fatigue loading using Ag decorated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) foam (denoted as AGF) as a superelastic and robust Zn host. The wet-press assembly process enables the formation of highly porous and robust framework. The strong synergetic effect between rGO and Ag further guarantees AGF's superelasticity and ultrahigh mechanical strength. Meanwhile, the homogeneously distributed Ag species on the rGO sheets act as zincophilic sites to effectively facilitate Zn plating. Furthermore, AGF offers enough space to address the expansion during the charge and discharge cycles. As expected, the symmetrical cell using this AGF@Zn host demonstrates a long lifespan over 400h at a depth-of-discharge of 50%. It is worth mentioning that the superelastic AGF host realizes stable Zn plating/stripping under varying pressures.

One-pot Synthesis of High-capacity Sulfur Cathodes via In-situ Polymerization of a Porous Imine-based Polymer.

Lithium-ion batteries, essential for electronics and electric vehicles, predominantly use cathodes made from critical materials like cobalt. Sulfur-based cathodes, offering a high theoretical capacity of 1675mAhg-1 and environmental advantages due to sulfur's abundance and lower toxicity, present a more sustainable alternative. However, state-of-the-art sulfur-based electrodes do not reach the theoretical capacities, mainly because conventional electrode production relies on mixing of components into weakly coordinated slurries. Consequently, sulfur's mobility leads to battery degradation - an effect known as the "sulfur-shuttle". This study introduces a solution by developing a microporous, covalently-bonded, imine-based polymer network grown in-situ around sulfur particles on the current collector. The polymer network (i) enables selective transport of electrolyte and Li-ions through pores of defined size, and (ii) acts as a robust host to retain the active component of the electrode (sulfur species). The resulting cathode has superior rate performance from 0.1C (1360mAhg-1) to 3C (807mAhg-1). Demonstrating a high-performance, sustainable sulfur cathode produced via a simple one-pot process, our research underlines the potential of microporous polymers in addressing sulfur diffusion issues, paving the way for sulfur electrodes as viable alternatives to traditional metal-based cathodes.

Ein‐Topf‐Synthese von Schwefelkathoden mit hoher Kapazität durch In situ‐Polymerisation eines porösen Polymers auf Iminbasis

AbstractLithium‐Ionen‐Batterien, die für elektronische Geräte und Elektrofahrzeuge unerlässlich sind, verwenden hauptsächlich Kathoden aus kritischen Materialien wie Kobalt. Eine nachhaltigere Alternative sind Kathoden auf Schwefelbasis, die eine hohe theoretische Kapazität von 1675 mAh g−1 und Umweltvorteile bieten, da Schwefel reichlich vorhanden und weniger toxisch ist. Moderne Elektroden auf Schwefelbasis erreichen die theoretische Kapazität jedoch nicht, vor allem weil die herkömmliche Elektrodenherstellung auf dem Mischen der Komponenten zu schwach koordinierten Aufschlämmungen beruht. Infolgedessen führt die Mobilität des Schwefels zu einer Degradation der Batterie – ein Effekt, der als „Schwefel‐Shuttle“ bekannt ist. Diese Studie stellt eine Lösung vor, indem ein mikroporöses, kovalent gebundenes, iminbasiertes Polymernetzwerk entwickelt wird, das in situ um die Schwefelpartikel auf dem Stromkollektor wächst. Das Polymernetzwerk (i) ermöglicht den selektiven Transport von Elektrolyt und Li‐Ionen durch Poren definierter Größe und (ii) fungiert als robuster Wirt, um die aktive Komponente der Elektrode (Schwefelspezies) zurückzuhalten. Die resultierende Kathode hat eine überlegene Leistung von 0,1 C (1360 mAh g−1) bis 3 C (807 mAh g−1). Mit der Demonstration einer leistungsstarken, langlebigen Schwefelkathode, die in einem einfachen Eintopfverfahren hergestellt wurde, unterstreicht unsere Forschung das Potenzial mikroporöser Polymere bei der Lösung von Schwefeldiffusionsproblemen und ebnet den Weg für Schwefelelektroden als praktikable Alternative zu herkömmlichen Kathoden auf Metallbasis.

New regulatory role of Znf1 in transcriptional control of pentose phosphate pathway and ATP synthesis for enhanced isobutanol and acid tolerance.

To develop a cost-effective microbial cell factory for the production of biofuels and biochemicals, an understanding of tolerant mechanisms is vital for the construction of robust host strains. Here, we characterized a new function of a key metabolic transcription factor named Znf1 and its involvement in stress response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to enhance tolerance to advanced biofuel, isobutanol. RNA-sequencing analysis of the wild-type versus the znf1Δ deletion strains in glucose revealed a new role for transcription factor Znf1 in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and energy generation. The gene expression analysis confirmed that isobutanol induces an adaptive cell response, resulting in activation of ATP1-3 and COX6 expression. These genes were Znf1 targets that belong to the electron transport chain, important to produce ATPs. Znf1 also activated PPP genes, required for the generation of key amino acids, cellular metabolites, and maintenance of NADP/NADPH redox balance. In glucose, Znf1 also mediated the upregulation of valine biosynthetic genes of the Ehrlich pathway, namely ILV3, ILV5, and ARO10, associated with the generation of key intermediates for isobutanol production.Using S. cerevisiae knockout collection strains, cells with deleted transcriptional regulatory gene ZNF1 or its targets displayed hypersensitivity to isobutanol and acid inhibitors; in contrast, overexpression of ZNF1 enhanced cell survival. Thus, the transcription factor Znf1 functions in the maintenance of energy homeostasis and redox balance at various checkpoints of yeast metabolic pathways. It ensures the rapid unwiring of gene transcription in response to toxic products/by-products generated during biofuel production. Importantly, we provide a new approach to enhance strain tolerance during the conversion of glucose to biofuels.

A preliminary biocontrol study: Isolation, characterization and genomic analysis of lytic phage TE against Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae

AbstractTraditionally, apricot trees suffering from bacterial canker disease caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae were treated in orchards through the application of antibiotics or copper‐based drugs. However, considering the disadvantages of the long‐term use of chemical pesticides and antibiotics, there has been an increasing interest in phages, which have a lytic effect on bacteria, as biopesticides in recent years. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive examination of phage TE, isolated from wastewater in Turkey, from this perspective. Through scanning electron microscopy and phylogenetic analysis, we classified phage TE as belonging to the order Caudovirales and the family Strabovoridae. The phage TE exhibited a robust host lysis efficiency, with 280 infectious phage particles produced per bacterial cell in just 15 min. In experimental trials, treatment with phage TE resulted in an impressive 82% inhibition of bacterial canker disease in apricot leaves, highlighting its effectiveness as a phage therapy agent. Furthermore, phage TE exhibited long‐term stability when stored at 4°C without cryoprotectant and displayed tolerance to a wide temperature (−20°C to 50°C) and pH (2–12) range but its tolerance to UV‐C was very low. The genome and bioinformatics analyses of P. syringae phage TE have identified distinct protein level differences between other phages of the same species, despite sharing similarities at the nucleotide level. These findings suggest the potential use of phage TE as a biocontrol agent, offering a promising solution to control apricot bacterial canker.

Probing star formation rates and histories in AGNs and non-AGN galaxies across diverse cosmic environments and X-ray luminosity ranges

In this work, we compare the star formation rates (SFRs) and star formation histories (SFHs) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and non-AGN galaxies. We explore these aspects across different density fields and over three orders of magnitude in X-ray luminosity (L$_X$). For that purpose, we employed X-ray AGNs detected in the XMM-XXL field and constructed a galaxy control sample, using sources from the VIPERS catalogue. We applied strict photometric and quality selection criteria to ensure that only sources with robust (host) galaxy measurements were included in the analysis. Our final samples consist of 149 X-ray AGNs with $ L_ X,2-10keV (ergs^ &lt;45$ and 3\,488 non-AGN systems. The sources span a redshift range of $ 0.5&lt;z&lt;1.0$ and have stellar masses within, $10.5&lt; M_*(M_ odot) &lt;11.5$. For these systems, we adopted the available measurements for their local densities and their spectral lines (D$_n$4000) from the VIPERS catalogue. To compare the SFRs of these two populations, we calculated the SFR$_ norm $ parameter. The latter is defined as the ratio of the SFRs of AGNs to the SFRs of non-AGN galaxies with similar M$_*$ and redshift. Our findings reveal that low- and moderate-L$_X$ AGNs ($ L_ X,2-10keV (ergs^ &lt;44$) that reside in low-density fields have a nearly flat SFR$_ norm -$L$_X$ relation. In contrast, the AGNs of similar L$_X$ values that reside in high-density environments present an increase in SFR$_ norm $ with L$_X$. These results are in line with previous studies. Notably, our results suggest that the most luminous of the AGNs ($ L_ X,2-10keV (ergs^ &gt;44$) exhibit an increased SFR in comparison to non-AGN galaxies. This trend appears to be independent of the density of the environment. Furthermore, for AGNs with similar L$_X$, those in high-density regions tend to have higher SFR$_ norm $ values compared to their counterparts in low-density areas. Comparisons of the D$_n$4000 spectral index, which serves as a proxy for the age of the stellar population, reveals that low- and moderate-L$_X$ AGNs reside in galaxies with comparable stellar populations with non-AGN systems, regardless of the density field they are situated in. However, the most luminous X-ray sources tend to reside in galaxies that have younger stellar populations, as compared to non-AGN galaxies, regardless of the galaxy's environment.

Robust 3D carbon host decorated with in-situ generated Li–Si alloy and Li3N for Li metal anodes

Lithium metal batteries hold a great promise for next-generation high-energy-density energy storage devices. However, severe Li dendrite growth and low Coulombic efficiency limit the application of lithium metal as anodes in Li batteries. Herein, we report a novel N-doped carbon host decorated with in-situ generated Li–Si alloy and Li3N for Li metal anode, showing a high theoretical specific capacity of 3090.0 mAh g−1. The as-prepared lithium composite (SiO2-N-CP@Li) electrode maintains stable cycling for over 960 h at 1.0 mA cm−2/1.0 mAh cm−2 and still has excellent stability (>900 h) especially at a high current density of 5.0 mA cm−2. Furthermore, when the SiO2-N-CP@Li anode is paired with LiFePO4 (LFP) cathode, the assembled full cell manages to deliver an impressive cycling performance for 450 cycles at 1C. This work offers a new insight for the rational design and utilization of Li metal anode in the next-generation high-energy-density batteries.

Dual carbon modification of few-layered ReS2 nanosheets to retard polysulfide shuttling for long-cycling sodium-ion batteries

Rhenium disulfide (ReS2) is promising to work as a robust host for sodium storage, owing to the extremely weak interlayer van der Waals interactions and large interlayer spacing. However, the low electronic conductivity and huge volume expansion seriously restrict high-rate capability and cycling lifespan. In this work, few-layered ReS2 nanosheets with carbon coating (ReS2/C) grown on the hollow mesoporous carbon spheres (HMCS) are designed to form the HMCS@ReS2/C architectures that have several merits for the sodium storage, attributed to the dual carbon modification and the hollow structure. (i) HMCS provides a large interior void to relieve the volume change during discharge/charge processes and superior structural stability for long-term cycling. (ii) The large hetero-interfacial contact can enhance electron/Na+ transport in ReS2, enabling accelerated reaction kinetics. (iii) The outer carbon layer formed on ReS2 surface is capable of inhibiting dissolution of polysulfide ions and their corrosion to the copper current collector, preventing the “under-voltage failure” phenomenon. Consequently, HMCS@ReS2/C delivers superior sodium storage performance, yielding excellent high-rate capability (211 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1), long lifespan (4000 cycles at 10 A g−1) and stable cycling stability with an extremely low capacity decay rate of 0.0096% per cycle. The high-rate cyclability surpasses the record of ReS2-based anodes reported previously. Furthermore, the fabricated Na3V2(PO4)3║HMCS@ReS2/C full cells can also exhibit outstanding cycling performance.

Tuning charge transfer and ion diffusion in 3D nanotubular arrays by engineering vacancy and implanting sodiophilic seeds for dendrite-free sodium metal anodes

Sodium metal anode (SMA) stands out as a compelling choice for future high-energy Na batteries due to its high theoretical capacity and low redox potential. However, its widespread application is severely impeded by dendrite-related hazards. Designing a host for “hostless” SMA has emerged as a promising strategy to address its harmful dendrite growth. Recent studies highlight the effectiveness of low-tortuosity arrays in SMA for guiding rapid ion transport and achieving uniform Na deposition. Herein, a pioneering 3D host, Ag@H-TNTA, characterized by low-tortuosity hydrogenated TiO2-x nanotubular arrays decorated with silver nanocrystals, are unveiled for constructing fast, stable, and dendrite-free SMA. The strategic introduction of oxygen vacancies and the implantation of sodiophilic seeds enable the achievement of rapid and coordinated electronic/ion transport as well as uniform electric-field/ion flux distribution in the Ag@H-TNTA, ultimately facilitating uniform Na deposition. Consequently, Ag@H-TNTA electrode exhibits a dendrite-free plating morphology and maintains an impressive Coulombic efficiency of ≈ 98% over 600 cycles at 1 mA cm−2 with a capacity of 1 mAh cm−2. Outstanding cycling performances and high rate capabilities of Ag@H-TNTA-Na anode are also demonstrated in both symmetric and full cells, underscoring the potential of Ag@H-TNTA as a robust host for stable and dendrite-free SMA.