Rimer started researching zeolites in 2001 while earning his doctoral degree from the University of Delaware and continues the work at UH. His extensive research on the topic led to the first in situ evidence of how zeolites grow, which was published in Science Magazine in 2014.
His interest in zeolites is also what brought him to the DOE project and he is looking forward to applying his knowledge to this new challenge.
“Fortunately, we have experience working with the zeolites that are relevant to this DOE project,” Rimer said. “That knowledge gives us a foundation to move forward and start thinking about questions that we did not pose earlier: What is causing nucleation from an amorphous precursor? What are the rates of growth under a broad range of conditions? How do we tailor these properties to reduce zeolite formation?”