Publications by authors named "W Bras"

Mo-ZSM-5 is a well-studied catalyst for its ability to convert methane to aromatics and hydrogen. Since the process is thermodynamically 'uphill', high temperatures are necessary to achieve acceptable product yields. However, these temperatures have been shown to negatively impact the stability of the zeolite, with the formation of aluminum molybdates being proposed as particularly responsible for framework collapse.

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Research on new conservation treatments for historical wood requires considerable amounts of appropriate wood material, which is hard to acquire. Thus, we produced biologically and chemically degraded model wood that could be used as a representative material in future research on consolidating agents. Using chemical composition determinations, we found that fungal decay targeted mainly polysaccharides, while alkaline treatment mostly reduced hemicelluloses and lignin content.

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Article Synopsis
  • Nanochannels that can control their opening and closing are useful in applications like detecting viruses, sorting particles, and regulating fluid flow.
  • The study investigates how changing the pH and ionic strength of solutions affects the behavior of a special brush coating inside these nanochannels.
  • Results show that at high pH, the brush is collapsed (like an open gate), while lower pH and salt levels cause the brush to expand and partially close the gate, offering new ways to design advanced nanofluidic devices.
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The barrier function of the skin is primarily located in the stratum corneum (SC), the outermost layer of the skin. The SC is composed of dead cells with highly organized lipid lamellae in the intercellular space. As the lipid matrix forms the only continuous pathway, the lipids play an important role in the permeation of compounds through the SC.

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