High electron mobility, quantum Hall effect and anomalous optical response in atomically thin InSe

A decade of intense research on two-dimensional (2D) atomic crystals has revealed that their properties can differ greatly from those of the parent compound. These differences are governed by changes in the band structure due to quantum confinement and are most profound if the underlying lattice symmetry changes. Here we report a high-quality 2D electron gas in few-layer InSe encapsulated in hexagonal boron nitride under an inert atmosphere. Carrier mobilities are found to exceed 103cm2V-1s-1and 104cm2V-1s-1at room and liquid-helium temperatures, respectively, allowing the observation of the fully developed quantum Hall effect. The conduction electrons occupy a single 2D subband and have a small effective mass. Photoluminescence spectroscopy reveals that the bandgap increases by more than 0.5eV with decreasing the thickness from bulk to bilayer InSe. The band-edge optical response vanishes in monolayer InSe, which is attributed to the monolayer's mirror-plane symmetry. Encapsulated 2D InSe expands the family of graphene-like semiconductors and, in terms of quality, is competitive with atomically thin dichalcogenides and black phosphorus.EU, EPSRC. The Royal Societ

Reduction Kinetics of 3-Hydroxybenzoate 6-Hydroxylase from Rhodococcus jostii RHA1

3-Hydroxybenzoate 6-hydroxylase (3HB6H) from Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 is a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH)-specific flavoprotein monooxygenase involved in microbial aromatic degradation. The enzyme catalyzes the para hydroxylation of 3-hydroxybenzoate (3-HB) to 2,5-dihydroxybenzoate (2,5-DHB), the ring-fission fuel of the gentisate pathway. In this study, the kinetics of reduction of the enzyme-bound flavin by NADH was investigated at pH 8.0 using a stopped-flow spectrophotometer, and the data were analyzed comprehensively according to kinetic derivations and simulations. Observed rate constants for reduction of the free enzyme by NADH under anaerobic conditions were linearly dependent on NADH concentrations, consistent with a one-step irreversible reduction model with a bimolecular rate constant of 43 ± 2 M–1 s–1. In the presence of 3-HB, observed rate constants for flavin reduction were hyperbolically dependent on NADH concentrations and approached a limiting value of 48 ± 2 s–1. At saturating concentrations of NADH (10 mM) and 3-HB (10 mM), the reduction rate constant is 51 s–1, whereas without 3-HB, the rate constant is 0.43 s–1 at a similar NADH concentration. A similar stimulation of flavin reduction was found for the enzyme–product (2,5-DHB) complex, with a rate constant of 45 ± 2 s–1. The rate enhancement induced by aromatic ligands is not due to a thermodynamic driving force because Em0 for the enzyme–substrate complex is -179 ± 1 mV compared to an Em0 of -175 ± 2 mV for the free enzyme. It is proposed that the reduction mechanism of 3HB6H involves an isomerization of the initial enzyme–ligand complex to a fully activated form before flavin reduction takes plac

Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer and Adduct Configuration Are Important for C4a-Hydroperoxyflavin Formation and Stabilization in a Flavoenzyme

Determination of the mechanism of dioxygen activation by flavoenzymes remains one of the most challenging problems in flavoenzymology for which the underlying theoretical basis is not well understood. Here, the reaction of reduced flavin and dioxygen catalyzed by pyranose 2-oxidase (P2O), a flavoenzyme oxidase that is unique in its formation of C4a-hydroperoxyflavin, was investigated by density functional calculations, transient kinetics, and site-directed mutagenesis. Based on work from the 1970s–1980s, the current understanding of the dioxygen activation process in flavoenzymes is believed to involve electron transfer from flavin to dioxygen and subsequent proton transfer to form C4a-hydroperoxyflavin. Our findings suggest that the first step of the P2O reaction is a single electron transfer coupled with a proton transfer from the conserved residue, His548. In fact, proton transfer enhances the electron acceptor ability of dioxygen. The resulting ·OOH of the open-shell diradical pair is placed in an optimal position for the formation of C4a-hydroperoxyflavin. Furthermore, the C4a-hydroperoxyflavin is stabilized by the side chains of Thr169, His548, and Asn593 in a “face-on” configuration where it can undergo a unimolecular reaction to generate H₂O₂ and oxidized flavin. The computational results are consistent with kinetic studies of variant forms of P2O altered at residues Thr169, His548, and Asn593, and kinetic isotope effects and pH-dependence studies of the wild-type enzyme. In addition, the calculated energy barrier is in agreement with the experimental enthalpy barrier obtained from Eyring plots. This work revealed new insights into the reaction of reduced flavin with dioxygen, demonstrating that the positively charged residue (His548) plays a significant role in catalysis by providing a proton for a proton-coupled electron transfer in dioxygen activation. The interaction around the N5-position of the C4a-hydroperoxyflavin is important for dictating the stability of the intermediate