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Tungsten carbide (WC) is an established model electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in aqueous solutions. In spite of extensive interest in and work on this material, a systemat...

δ1-and δ3-MoN, the two most stable phases of molybdenum nitride, show a potential application in hydrogen evolution as their excellent corrosion resistance and high conductivity. However, we still lack the theoretical study about HER on their different surfaces. In order to simulate the realistic condition during heterogeneous catalysis, detailed atomic structure of each MoN surface (the ∗O and ∗OH) is determined by surface Pourbaix diagram. Further exploration of hydrogen evolution shows that the ∗O and ∗OH could change the catalytic site of one MoN surface, and weak the hydrogen adsorption ability. This is attributed to the downshift of Mo d-band center in top layer caused by the ∗O and ∗OH. And the hydrogen adsorption ability on catalytic sites of N and O atoms also follow the p-band center theory, respectively. It is interesting that several δ1-and δ3-MoN surfaces demonstrate comparable exchange current density, e.g., (101) and (001)N of δ1-MoN, and (110) of δ3-MoN with 1.76, 1.97 and 0.17 mA cm−2, respectively. This work is expected to contribute to the theoretical understanding of HER on different δ1-and δ3-MoN surfaces, and provide guidance for corresponding experiments on them.

Molybdenum carbides show great potential to replace platinum for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) to resolve the problem of hydrogen production, due to their high reserves, stabil...

Defect and substrate introduced into catalyst are two feasible routes toward design of heterogeneous catalysts. It is vital to identify and understand the relationships among atomic, electronic structures and adsorbate binding ability of the catalytic surfaces. Herein, hydrogen evolution on different defect graphene with and without two-dimensional (2D) Mo2C substrate are selected as examples to explore the relationships. Three feasible electronic structural descriptors, including p and pz band centers of local atoms, electron transfer to local atoms, and deformation charge densities of composite structures, are exacted from electronic properties of the defect and substrate-supported graphene. It is found that those descriptors could predict the hydrogen binding energy quantitatively, and the hydrogen adsorption order qualitatively. The descriptor of local p and pz band centers originate from hybridization between the site atom and adsorbate. It is believed that the relationship of atomic structure, electronic structure and binding energy may be applied to other surfaces, and shed light on the nature origin of the structure–activity on electrochemistry. By tuning the descriptors by atomic structure of defect or substrate, suitable hydrogen binding ability and superior hydrogen evolution performance of graphene could be achieved. Several structures based on graphene own superior hydrogen evolution activity: the exchange current densities of S3NV1-G, S2NV2-G@Mo2C, N1-G@Mo2C, and N2-G@Mo2C are predicted to be 0.811, 0.963, 0.712, and 1.860 mA/cm2, respectively. Especially the last two ones, their negative interfacial binding energies, and the energy favorability of forming N1 and N2 defects, ensure their stabilities and easy syntheses in experiment, and enhance their potential applications.

In light of reverse chemical ecology, the fluorescence competitive binding assays of functional odorant binding proteins (OBPs) is a recent advanced approach for screening behaviorally active compounds of insects. Previous research on Dastareus helophoroides identified a minus-C OBP, DhelOBP21, which preferably binds to several ligands. In this study, only (+)-β-pinene proved attractive to unmated adult beetles. To obtain a more in-depth explanation of the lack of behavioral activity of other ligands we selected compounds with high (camphor) and low (β-caryophyllene) binding affinities. The structural transformation of OBPs was investigated using well-established approaches for studying binding processes, such as fluorescent quenching assays, circular dichroism, and molecular dynamics. The dynamic binding process revealed that the flexibility of DhelOBP21 seems conducive to binding specific ligands, as opposed to broad substrate binding. The compound (+)-β-pinene and DhelOBP21 formed a stable complex through a secondary structural transformation of DhelOBP21, in which its amino-terminus transformed from random coil to an α-helix to cover the binding pocket. On the other hand, camphor could not efficiently induce a stable structural transformation, and its high binding affinities were due to strong hydrogen-bonding, compromising the structure of the protein. The other compound, β-caryophyllene, only collided with DhelOBP21 and could not be positioned in the binding pocket. Studying structural transformation of these proteins through examining the dynamic binding process rather than using approaches that just measure binding affinities such as fluorescence competitive binding assays can provide a more efficient and reliable approach for screening behaviorally active compounds.

Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) play a pivotal role in transporting odorants through the sensillar lymph of insect chemosensory sensilla and increasing the sensitivity of the olfactory system. To address the ligand binding, activation, and release mechanisms of OBPs, we performed a set of conventional molecular dynamics simulations for binding of the odorant-binding protein DhelOBP21 from Dastarcus helophoroides with 18 ligands (1-NPN and 17 volatiles), as well as four constant-pH molecular dynamics simulations. We found that the open pocket DhelOBP21 at pH 5.0 could bind volatiles and form a closed pocket complex via transformation of its N-terminus into regular Helix at pH 7.0 and vice versa. Moreover, the discrimination of volatiles (selectivity and promiscuity) was determined by the characteristics of both the volatiles and the ‘essential’ and ‘selective’ amino acid residues in OBP binding pockets, rather than the binding affinity of the volatiles. This study put forward a new hypothesis that during the binding of volatiles there are two transitions for the DhelOBP21 amino-terminus: pH- and odorant binding-dependent random-coil-to-helix. Another important finding is providing a framework for the exploration of the complete coil-to-helix transition process and theoretically analyzing its underlying causes at molecular level.

Odorant binding proteins (OBPs) transport hydrophobic odor molecules across the sensillar lymph to trigger a neuronal response. Herein, the Minus-C OBP (DhelOBP21) was characterized from Dastarcus helophoroides, the most important natural parasitic enemy insect that targets Monochamus alternatus. Homology modeling and molecular docking were conducted on the interaction between DhelOBP21 and 17 volatile molecules (including volatiles from pine bark, the larva of M. alternatus, and the faeces of the larva). The predicted three-dimensional structure showed only two disulfide bridges and a hydrophobic binding cavity with a short C-terminus. Ligand-binding experiments using N-phenylnaphthylamine (1-NPN) as a fluorescent probe showed that DhelOBP21 exhibited better binding affinities against those ligands with a molecular volume between 100 and 125 Å(³) compared with ligands with a molecular volume between 160 and 185 Å(³). Molecules that are too big or too small are not conducive for binding. We mutated the amino acid residues of the binding cavity to increase either hydrophobicity or hydrophilia. Ligand-binding experiments and cyber molecular docking assays indicated that hydrophobic interactions are more significant than hydrogen-bonding interactions. Although hydrogen-bond interactions could be predicted for some binding complexes, the hydrophobic interactions had more influence on binding following hydrophobic changes that affected the cavity. The orientation of ligands affects binding by influencing hydrophobic interactions. The binding process is controlled by multiple factors. This study provides a basis to explore the ligand-binding mechanisms of Minus-C OBP.