Spontaneous Exchange Research Articles

Coexistence of tetragonal and cubic phase induced complex magnetic behaviour in CoMn2O4 nanoparticles

CoMn2O4, known for its extensive range of applications, has been subject to limited investigations regarding its structure dependent magnetic properties. Here, we have examined the structure dependent magnetic properties of CoMn2O4 nanoparticles synthesized through a facile coprecipitation technique and are characterized using x-ray diffractometer, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), RAMAN spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and magnetic measurements. Rietveld refinement of the x-ray diffraction pattern reveals the coexistence of 91.84% of tetragonal and 8.16% of cubic phase. The cation distribution for tetragonal and cubic phases are (Co0.94Mn0.06)[Co0.06Mn1.94]O4 and (Co0.04Mn0.96)[Co0.96Mn1.04]O4, respectively. While Raman spectra and selected area electron diffraction pattern confirm the spinel structure, both +2 and +3 oxidation states for Co and Mn confirmed by XPS further corroborate the cation distribution. Magnetic measurement shows two magnetic transitions, Tc1 at 165 K and Tc2 at 93 K corresponding to paramagnetic to a lower magnetically ordered ferrimagnetic state followed by a higher magnetically ordered ferrimagnetic state, respectively. While Tc1 is attributed to the cubic phase having inverse spinel structure, Tc2 corresponds to the tetragonal phase with normal spinel. In contrast to general temperature dependent H C observed in ferrimagnetic material, an unusual temperature dependent H C with high spontaneous exchange bias of 2.971 kOe and conventional exchange bias of 3.316 kOe at 50 K are observed. Interestingly, a high vertical magnetization shift (VMS) of 2.5 emu g−1 is observed at 5 K, attributed to the Yafet–Kittel spin structure of Mn3+ in the octahedral site. Such unusual results are discussed on the basis of competition between the non-collinear triangular spin canting configuration of Mn3+ cations of octahedral sites and collinear spins of tetrahedral site. The observed VMS has the potential to revolutionize the future of ultrahigh density magnetic recording technology.

Spontaneous histone exchange between nucleosomes

The nucleosome is the fundamental gene-packing unit in eukaryotes. Nucleosomes comprise ∼147bp DNA wrapped around an octameric histone protein core composed of two H2A-H2B dimers and one (H3-H4)2 tetramer. The strong yet flexible DNA-histone interactions are the physical basis of the dynamic regulation of genes packaged in chromatin. The dynamic nature of DNA-histone interactions also implies thatnucleosomes dissociate DNA-histone contacts both transiently and repeatedly. This kinetic instability may lead to spontaneous nucleosome disassembly or histone exchange between nucleosomes. At high nucleosome concentrations, nucleosome-nucleosome collisions and subsequent histone exchange would be a more likely event, where nucleosomes could act as their own histone chaperone. This spontaneous histone exchange could serve as a mechanism for maintaining overall chromatin stability, although it has never been reported. Here we employed three-color single-molecule FRET (smFRET) to demonstrate that histone H2A-H2B dimers are exchanged spontaneously between nucleosomes on a time scale of a few tens of seconds at a physiological nucleosome concentration. We show that the rate of histone exchange increases at a higher monovalent salt concentration, with histone-acetylated nucleosomes, and in the presence of histone chaperone Nap1, while it remains unchanged at a higher temperature, and decreases upon DNA methylation. These results support the notion of histone exchange via transient and repetitive partial disassembly of the nucleosome and corroborate spontaneous histone diffusion in a compact chromatin context, modulating the local concentrations of histone modifications and variants.

A simple, natural 3D honeycomb structure achieving high photothermal conversion and sustainable salt-resistance for efficient desalination and potential electricity generation

Excellent light absorption and suppressed salt crystallization are required for solar evaporators to operate continuously and efficiently. Herein, we report a waste biomass-derived solar evaporator (Le/CNTs-corn stalk) with natural 3D honeycomb structure and sustainable salt-resistance for efficient desalination and potential electricity generation. This simply fabricated 3D light-absorbing nanostructure greatly increases the light transmission distance, achieving significant boost in light absorption of 94.8 % and photothermal conversion efficiency of 92.5 %. Moreover, a spontaneous salt exchange capability between vascular bundles and laser engraved channels is developed according to the Hagen-Poiseuille's law. Salt concentration difference formed by the volume flowrate is alleviated to facilitate salt dissolution and prevent salt accumulation on the surface, enabling to evaporate effectively for 8 h even in 10 % salt solutions. In addition, tentatively inserted carbon nanotubes on its internal channel surface raises the total zeta potential and causes surface negative charge. A promising electricity generation potential is explored with continually generating a steady voltage of ∼136 mV. Our work provides a sustainable and massive strategy to realize efficient water production and simultaneous electricity generation using sufficient solar energy and biomass resources.

The exchange bias effect and Griffiths phase in La1.5Sr0.5Co1-xNixMnO6: The impact of the divalent Ni

The effects of Co-site doping of Ni2+ ions on the crystal structure, electronic structure, and magnetic properties of La1.5Sr0.5CoMnO6 are investigated. The doping causes an increase in the anti-site disorder and a change in the content of Co2+/3+ and Mn3+/4+, as well as a change in the spin state of Co ions. Ni doping introduces Ni2+-O2--Mn4+ ferromagnetic interactions to increase the ferromagnetic transition temperature. Samples display different dominant clusters, and field cooling promotes the presence of ferromagnetic clusters, allowing an increase in the Griffiths phase. Interestingly, Ni doping enables tuning the conventional and spontaneous exchange bias (EB) effects, increasing the EB field for intermediate concentrations. Moreover, the maxima of both EB fields do not occur in the same sample, which leads to a new understanding of the relationship between these two effects. The possible mechanisms related to the uncompensated spin and competition between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic clusters are discussed, respectively.

SORPTION OF IONS OF SOME METAL ON CLINOPTILOLITE IN THE PRESENCE OF GALLIC ACID

The Gibbs energy changes for the reaction between the copper, cadmium, and lead ions complexes with gallic acid and clinoptilolite containing single-charged (Na, K) and double-charged (Ca, Mg) exchange ions were calculated. The software PRIRODA with the PBE/3ζ theoretical method has been used for these calculations:
 (GalAn)2X×2H2O + Clin-Me + 2H3O+ → X(H2O)n-Clin + 2GalAn– + (6-n)H2O + 2Me+(Me2+).
 The thermodynamic possibility of spontaneous ion exchange between complexes of heavy metal ions (Cu2+, Cd2+, Pb2+) with gallic acid and exchange ions of clinoptilolite was shown. This indicates the possibility of removal of these ions from the soil, with their coordination by polyphenols. The possibility of a significant decrease in the content of Cu2+, Cd2+, and Pb2+ ions was investigated both in the absence of gallic acid and in its presence in solution (initial concentration of metal ions of 2 mmol/l, the ratio of Me2+: gallic acid is 1:0, 1:1, and 1:2). It has been found that the sodium form of clinoptilolite influences the growth of sorption properties of clinoptilolite, allowing to exclude 22% more copper ions, compared to the natural clinoptilolite of Sokyrnytsya deposit. Two mechanisms for reducing the concentration of heavy metals in soil have been proposed.
 Keywords: clinoptilolite; sorption; heavy metal; quantum-chemical calculations; gallic acid.

Highly Salt-Resistant interfacial solar evaporators based on Melamine@Silicone nanoparticles for stable Long-Term desalination and water harvesting

Interfacial solar-driven evaporation (ISE) is one of the most promising solutions for collecting fresh water, however, poor salt-resistance severely limits the long-term stability of solar evaporators. Here, highly salt-resistant solar evaporators for stable long-term desalination and water harvesting were fabricated by depositing silicone nanoparticles onto melamine sponge, and then modifying the hybrid sponge sequentially with polypyrrole and Au nanoparticles. The solar evaporators have a superhydrophilic hull for water transport and solar desalination, and a superhydrophobic nucleus for reducing heat loss. Spontaneous rapid salt exchange and reduction in salt concentration gradient were achieved due to ultrafast water transport and replenishment in the superhydrophilic hull with a hierachical micro-/nanostructure, which effectively prevents salt deposition during ISE. Consequently, the solar evaporators have long-term stable evaporation performance of 1.65 kg m-2h−1 for 3.5 wt% NaCl solution under 1 sun illumination. Moreover, 12.87 kg m−2 fresh water was collected during consecutive 10 h ISE of 20 wt% brine under 1 sun without any salt precipitation. We believe that this strategy will shed a new light on the design of long-term stable solar evaporators for fresh water harvesting.

Universal, open MHC-I for rapid ligand loading and enhanced complex stability across classical and non-classical allotypes.

Abstract The instability of class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC-I) and MHC-like molecules loaded with suboptimal peptides, metabolites, or glycolipids presents an important biochemical challenge for identifying disease-relevant antigens and antigen-specific T cell receptors (TCRs) for autologous therapy development. Here, we leverage the coupled binding between ligand and the light chain (beta-2 microglobulin, β 2m) to the MHC-I heavy chain with the aim of developing conformationally stable molecules by engineering a disulfide bond to bridge the interface between the heavy and light chain. The resulting MHC-I molecules are stabilized in a ligand-receptive/open state, exhibit favorable ligand exchange properties, and are readily loaded with moderate affinity ligands to afford properly conformed protein complexes of enhanced stability compared to the wild type. We demonstrate the generality of the structural design using polymorphic HLA representatives covering multiple HLA-A and B supertypes, the nonclassical and oligomorphic HLA-Ib molecules, as well as MHC-like molecules, MR1 and CD1. Our platform allows spontaneous and rapid ligand exchange, which enables a range of approaches for ligand screening and the functional screening and characterization of polyclonal TCR repertoires. Supported by grants from NIH (R01AI143997, R35GM125034, U01DK112217).

Structural transitions and spontaneous exchange bias in La2−xBaxCoMnO6 series

The structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of La2−xBaxCoMnO6(0.25 ≤ x ​≤ ​1.0) compounds were investigated employing x-ray powder diffraction and magnetometry. The crystal structure evolves from orthorhombic Pnma to rhombohedral R3̄c and then to hexagonal P63/mmc space group as the Ba concentration increases. The magnetization as a function of temperature measurements revealed a ferromagnetic-like behavior for all samples, but antiferromagnetic interactions seem to also be present throughout the whole series. The competition between magnetic phases leads to the phenomenon of spontaneous exchange bias effect, observed in the zero field cooled magnetization as a function of applied magnetic field curves. The evolution of this effect along the series is discussed in terms of changes in the crystal structure.

Exploring the Relationship between Spontaneous Sister Chromatid Exchange and Genome Instability in Two Cryptic Species of Non-Human Primates.

There are extensive studies on chromosome morphology and karyotype diversity in primates, yet we still lack insight into genomic instability as a key factor underlying the enormous interspecies chromosomal variability and its potential contribution to evolutionary dynamics. In this sense, the assessment of spontaneous sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequencies represents a powerful tool for evaluating genome stability. Here, we employed G-banding, fluorescence plus Giemsa (FPG), and chromosome orientation fluorescence in situ hybridization (CO-FISH) methodologies to characterize both chromosome-specific frequencies of spontaneously occurring SCE throughout the genome (G-SCE) and telomere-specific SCE (T-SCE). We analyzed primary fibroblast cultures from two male species of Ateles living in captivity: Ateles paniscus (APA) and Ateles chamek (ACH). High frequencies of G-SCEs were observed in both species. Interestingly, G-SCEs clustered on evolutionary relevant chromosome pairs: ACH chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7, and APA chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4/12, 7, and 10. Furthermore, a statistically significant difference between the observed and expected G-SCE frequencies, not correlated with chromosome size, was also detected. CO-FISH analyses revealed the presence of telomere-specific recombination events in both species, which included T-SCE, as well as interstitial telomere signals and telomere duplications, with APA chromosomes displaying higher frequencies, compared to ACH. Our analyses support the hypothesis that regions of Ateles chromosomes susceptible to recombination events are fragile sites and evolutionary hot spots. Thus, we propose SCE analyses as a valuable indicator of genome instability in non-human primates.

Rapid assessment of antibiotic susceptibility using a fully 3D-printed impedance-based biosensor

The sustained misuse and overuse of antibacterial agents is accelerating the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is becoming one of the major threats to public health. Abuse of antibiotics drives spontaneous evolution, bacterial mutation, and exchange of resistant genes through lateral gene transfer. Mitigating the worldwide impact of AMR requires enhanced antibiotic stewardship through faster diagnostic testing. In this work, we aim to tackle this issue via development of a fully 3D-printed electrochemical, gel-modified biosensor for rapid bacterial growth monitoring. By using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, we have successfully identified growth profiles and confirmed antibiotic susceptibility of two ESKAPE pathogens, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, following overnight culture it was possible to determine antibiotic sensitivity in 90 min, altogether faster than the 24–48 h current gold standard of culture-based antimicrobial susceptibility testing with significant scope for optimisation. Results show a clear distinction between growth profiles in the presence and absence of amoxicillin, gentamicin, and fosfomycin, therefore demonstrating a rapid, cost-efficient platform for phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility testing within clinically relevant concentration ranges for conditions such as urinary tract infections and pneumonia.

Lithium exchange across a lithium-less coating for high energy cathodes

Surface degradation is a major limitation in the utilization of high energy cathodes. Cathode coatings provide a promising route for achieving interfacial stability. In this case, there is interest in developing coatings which will provide efficient ion transport across the cathode-electrolyte-interface (CEI). Aluminum based coatings, particularly metal fluorides, have shown great promise for stabilizing the high voltage cathode, LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4. Despite the clear practical advantages of coatings, the chemical basis for their improved performance remains ambiguous. Here we present an in-depth investigation of a nominal AlF3 coating on LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 based on solid state NMR spectroscopy to determine the composition and function of the Al/F coating layer. NMR results, supported by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron microscopy, reveal that the actual composition of the deposited layer is an amorphous Al–O–F phase. Isotope exchange is used to follow the spontaneous exchange of lithium ions across the CEI, revealing improved transport in coated cathodes. Finally, NMR experiments provide evidence for insertion of lithium ions in the Al/F coating following electrochemical cycling. The results suggest that lithium insertion into a nominally lithium-less coating plays a role in its improved performance, highlighting lithium content as an important factor in designing beneficial coatings for higher energy cathodes.

Synthesis of metal cation doped nanoparticles for single atom alloy catalysts using spontaneous cation exchange

The cations in the solution spontaneously exchange with the constituent atoms in metal nanoparticles, forming single-atom alloys (SAAs) catalysts. The prepared PdRu SAA catalyst exhibited superior activity than commercial Pt for methanol oxidation reaction.

How the Russian-Ukrainian war broke out – on the backstage of international politics from Jakub Kumoch’s perspective

This conversation between Igor Janke and Jakub Kumoch is an important source for research into the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war and the role of Polish diplomacy in the winter and spring of 2022. After all, it is not often that direct participants in high-level international talks share their memories of key historical moments, along with many important details and observations, less than a year after the events themselves. This is what Jakub Kumoch does – and he does it in a colourful way. A Polish political scientist and diplomat who has served as Poland’s ambassador to Switzerland, Turkey and other countries, Kumoch was State Secretary for International Affairs in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland from 2021 to 2023. During this time, he was in close contact with many governments, including those of Ukraine, the United States, France and Germany. In the form of a long chat between two friends, he shared his memories of this period with Igor Janke, a well-known Polish journalist. This conversation is also extremely interesting because it vividly illustrates the thinking in Polish government circles about the challenges to regional and global security associated with Russia’s war against Ukraine and the future of Polish-Ukrainian relations, including the historical dialogue. This interview was recorded on 19 January 2023. It was broadcast three days later on Janke’s Układ Otwarty podcast and on this author’s YouTube channel. 1 Jakub Kumoch resigned from his government post just one week before the interview, on 12 January 2023. He cited important family reasons. The original Polish version of this interview is available on the Układ Otwarty YouTube channel. We are publishing an English translation of it here. The lively, spontaneous exchange of ideas and the colloquial language of these two friends, as well as some broken thoughts and threads – a feature characteristic of many live conversations – may give some readers the impression of an under-edited conversation. This is a false impression. In accordance with the requirements of the source material, we are publishing the interview in its entirety, without any cutting or editing, and with editorial insertions in only a few places to make the flow of thought more understandable

Protic Ionic Liquids for Intrinsically Stretchable Conductive Polymers

Inspired by the classic hard-soft acid-base theory and intrigued by a theoretical prediction of spontaneous ion exchange between poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and hard-cation-soft-anion ionic liquid (IL), we treat PEDOT:PSS with a new IL composed of a protic (i.e., extremely hard) cation (3-methylimidazolium, p-MIM+) and an extremely soft anion (tetracyanoborate, TCB-). In fact, this protic IL (p-MIM:TCB) accomplishes the same levels of ion-exchange-mediated PEDOT-PSS separation, PEDOT-rich nanofibril formation, and electrical conductivity enhancement (∼2500 S/cm) as its aprotic counterpart (EMIM:TCB with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium), the best IL used for this purpose so far. Furthermore, p-MIM:TCB significantly outperforms EMIM:TCB in terms of improving the stretchability (i.e., the highest tensile strain) of the PEDOT:PSS thin film. This enhancement is a result of the aromatic and protic cation p-MIM+, which acts as a molecular adhesive holding the exchanged ion pairs (PEDOT+:TCB----p-MIM+:PSS-) via ionic intercalation (at the surface of TCB--decorated PEDOT+ clusters) and hydrogen bonding (to PSS-), in which washing p-MIM+ out of the film degrades the stretchability while keeping the morphology. Our results offer molecular-level insight into the morphological, electrical, and mechanical properties of PEDOT:PSS and a molecular-interaction-based enhancement strategy that can be used for intrinsically stretchable conductive polymers.

Sign reversal of both spontaneous and conventional exchange bias in nanoparticles of Y2FeCrO6 double perovskite

Single-phase nanoparticles sample of Y2FeCrO6 double perovskite with an average particle size of 67 nm was prepared and its structural and magnetic behavior is reported. Magnetization vs temperature (M–T) study revealed that the Neel temperature, TN is 327 K, which is greater than the previous finding [Maiti et al., J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 46, 415303 (2013)]. Super-exchange interactions in Cr3+–O–Cr3+ and Fe3+–O–Fe3+ networks are responsible for AFM transition. Magnetization reversal (MR) with a high compensation temperature Tcomp = 192 K and sign reversal in both spontaneous and conventional exchange bias fields are observed. In addition, a spin reorientation is observed at TSR ∼ 30 K. At 5 K, a zero-field cooled spontaneous exchange bias (SEB) field of 265 Oe is observed. At the same temperature, after field cooling the sample at 0.5 T, the maximum value of the exchange bias field (CEB) is found to be 2.1 kOe. The SEB shows a sign reversal across TSR, and the CEB reverses its sign across Tcomp. The observed thermal hysteresis of magnetization indicates a first-order phase transition. The loop width of magnetic hysteresis as a function of magnetization exhibits a double peak confirming the multiple magnetic phase behavior. Bipolar switching of magnetization has been demonstrated at 50 K. The competition between single-ion anisotropy and Dzyaloshinsky–Moriya interaction is responsible for the above behaviors.

Spontaneously Healing Buried Interfaces in n–i–p Halide Perovskite Photovoltaics

Accumulated halide defects on the buried interfaces of halide perovskite layers have exacerbated undesirable nonradiative recombination in the n–i–p perovskite photovoltaics, but are challenging to be passivated—the commonly used passivation molecules at buried interfaces of perovskite layers would be inevitably eroded in the solution processes of perovskite deposition. Regarding the solvent incompatibility, herein, the ZnO–EA/SnO2–Cl electron transfer layers (ETLs) terminated with functional sites (i.e., ethanolamine (EA) ligands on ZnO and Cl− ions on SnO2) to spontaneously heal the buried interfaces of perovskite layers are customized. The specialties of ZnO–EA/SnO2–Cl for defect passivation are revealed: 1) formation of ZnO–EA–Pb2+ coherent interlayers at the EA‐terminated ZnO‐perovskite interfaces effectively offsets the I vacancy defects of perovskites; and 2) spontaneous halide exchange between Cl−‐terminated SnO2 and unstable I−‐terminated perovskites enables the formation of FA2Sn(ICl)6‐like coherent interlayers. Thus, the customized termination of ETLs’ surface reduces the halide‐defect‐triggered nonradiative recombination at the buried surfaces of perovskite, enabling the fabricated n–i–p planar modules (6 × 6 cm2) with power conversion efficiencies approaching 18% and elevated stability. These findings provide desirable guidelines for interfacial carrier transport between perovskites and ETLs.

Large Exchange Bias Triggered by Transition Zone of Spin Glass

AbstractExchange bias has increasingly practical significance in magnetoresistive and spintronic devices. However, the underlying mechanism of exchange bias in bulk compounds with the structural single‐phase and inhomogeneous magnetic phases is still elusive. Herein, based on experimental and simulation results, two important parameters are studied, i.e., the antiferromagnetic (AFM) volume fraction and the ferromagnetic (FM)/AFM interface area, which essentially determine the (spontaneous) exchange bias of Mn‐rich Ni44Co6Mn44‐xSn6+x (x = 0 ∼ 6) magnetic shape memory alloys. The substitution Sn for Mn changes magnetic ground state following the sequence of superparamagnetic/AFM → dilute spin glass/AFM → transition zone → cluster spin glass/AFM → FM, accompanying the growth of FM cluster and the weakening of AFM interactions. The results reveal that the magnetic ground state for exchange bias is optimized at transition zone between dilute spin glass/strong AFM and cluster spin glass/weak AFM, in which the optimal AFM volume fraction and FM/AFM interface area are achieved by tuning magnetic fields. A giant exchange bias field of 702.7 mT and a spontaneous exchange bias field of 318.7 mT are demonstrated. The work contributes to in‐depth understanding of (spontaneous) exchange bias in magnetically inhomogeneous compounds.

Spontaneous exchange bias and large dielectric constant in Bi0.8Tb0.2Fe0.8Mn0.2O3 multiferroic

The structural, dielectric, and magnetic properties of Bi0.8Tb0.2Fe0.8Mn0.2O3 have been studied in detail. A structural shift from rhombohedral (space group R3c) to orthorhombic (space group Pn21a + Pnma) phase is observed with doping. The substitution of Mn and Tb gives a very large value of the dielectric constant. It has been demonstrated that the observed spontaneous exchange bias is larger than the conventional exchange bias at room temperature. Moreover, doping reduces the Neel temperature from 643 to 521 K and magnetization increases. Thermoremanent magnetization studies at room temperature show that the system is composed of an interfacial layer of an antiferromagnetic core and a two-dimensional diluted antiferromagnet shell with a net magnetization under the field. Furthermore, the system's reasonable HEB and HC values at room temperature make it intriguing and appealing for a variety of multifunctional devices.

Solar reduction of carbon dioxide on copper-tin electrocatalysts with energy conversion efficiency near 20%

Copper catalysts modified with tin have been demonstrated to be selective for the electroreduction of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide. However, such catalysts require the precise control of tin loading amount. Here, we develop a copper/tin-oxide catalyst with dominant tin oxide surface being formed via a spontaneous exchange reaction between sputtered tin and copper oxide. Even though the surface of this catalyst is tin-rich, it achieves an excellent performance towards carbon monoxide production in a flow cell. This contrasts with copper/tin-oxide prepared via atomic layer deposition since it yields selectivity towards carbon monoxide only on a copper-rich surface. Mechanism studies reveal that the tin sites on the tin-rich copper/tin-oxide surface achieve a suitable binding with adsorbed carbon monoxide under the presence of copper. Powered by a triple-junction solar cell, the copper/tin-oxide based electrolyzer sets a new benchmark solar-to-chemical energy conversion efficiency of 19.9 percent with a Faradaic efficiency of 98.9 percent towards carbon monoxide under simulated standard air mass 1.5 global illumination.

Mitotic exchange in female germline stem cells is the major source of Sex Ratio chromosome recombination in Drosophila pseudoobscura.

Sex Ratio chromosomes in Drosophila pseudoobscura are selfish X chromosome variants associated with 3 nonoverlapping inversions. In the male germline, Sex Ratio chromosomes distort the segregation of X and Y chromosomes (99:1), thereby skewing progeny sex ratio. In the female germline, segregation of Sex Ratio chromosomes is mendelian (50:50), but nonoverlapping inversions strongly suppress recombination establishing a 26-Mb haplotype (constituting ∼20% of the haploid genome). Rare crossover events located between nonoverlapping inversions can disrupt this haplotype, and recombinants have sometimes been found in natural populations. We recently reported on the first lab-generated Sex Ratio recombinants occurring at a rate of 0.0012 crossovers per female meiosis. An improved experimental design presented here reveals that these recombination events were at least 4 times more frequent than previously estimated. Furthermore, recombination events were strongly clustered, indicating that the majority arose from mitotic exchange in female germline stem cells and not from meiotic crossing-over in primary oocytes. Finally, asymmetric recovery of complementary recombinants was consistent with unequal exchange causing the recombination-induced viability defects. Incorporating these experimental results into population models for Sex Ratio chromosome evolution provided a substantially better fit to natural population frequencies and allowed maintenance of the highly differentiated 26-Mb Sex Ratio haplotype without invoking strong epistatic selection. This study provides the first estimate of spontaneous mitotic exchange for naturally occurring chromosomes in Drosophila female germline stem cells, reveals a much higher Sex Ratio chromosome recombination rate, and develops a mathematical model that accurately predicts the rarity of recombinant Sex Ratio chromosomes in natural populations.