Publication in Nature Communications
Mechanistic Study of Zeolite Crystallization Published in Nat. Commun.
In this manuscript we use scanning probe microscopy to monitor zeolite LTA crystallization in situ with a spatiotemporal resolution that captures dynamic processes in real time. We report a distinctive pathway involving the formation of gel-like islands from supersaturated solutions comprised of (alumino)silicate molecules. Three-dimensional assembly and evolution of these islands constitutes a unique mode of growth that differs from classical theories. Time-resolved imaging also reveals that growth can occur by (nearly) oriented attachment. At later stages of crystallization, a progressive transition to lower supersaturation shifts growth to a layered mechanism involving two-dimensional nucleation and spreading of layers.
The blog entitled “Peering into the Black Box of Zeolite Crystallization” was posted on the Nature Research Chemistry Community: [Blog Posting]
2018 Norman Hackerman Award
Jeff received the 2018 Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research from the Welch Foundation. The description for the award is the following along with pictures form the award ceremony that was held at the University of Houston Hilton Hotel:
“Dr. Rimer’s lab has made two significant materials science research discoveries in the past decade. The discovery of a molecule that inhibits calcium oxalate crystallization, the principal component of kidney stones, may lead to a promising therapeutic that has the potential to replace drugs currently used to treat this widespread disease. The second notable discovery is inspiring new methods to optimize the synthesis of zeolites, which are important as catalysts in petrochemical industries.”
Artwork selected for cover of Nature Materials
Our article was featured on the cover of the October 2020 issue of Nature Materials. This work was a collaborative effort between University of Houston (Rimer, Palmer), Stockholm University (Zou), University of Minnesota (Dauenhauer), Utrecht University (Weckhuysen), and Johns Hopkins University (Tsapatsis). This work was part of a Focus Issue on Zeolite Catalysis.
About the Cover: Nanosized zeolites enable better catalytic performance; however, their synthesis is non-trivial. Here, a simple treatment is presented that enables the growth of nanosized fins on zeolites that act as pseudo-nanoparticles, reducing deactivation rates for methanol-to-hydrocarbon catalysts.
Read more about this work:
Research Article by Dai et al.
Focus Issue Editorial article
Look Beneath the Surface, News & Views by German Sastre
Recent News
Paper Accepted in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.
Our paper in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University (M. Tsapatsis), Utrecht University (B.M. Weckhuysen), University of Houston (O. Abdelrahman), and UMass Amherst (W. Fan) was accepted in Angewandte Chemie. This work demonstrates a facile post-synthesis method (hydrothermal annealing) to improve the properties of ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts. Congratulations Shilpa and Heng!
Paper Accepted in Chem. Mater.
Our paper in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh (G. Mpourmpakis) and Rice University (T. Terlier) was accepted in Chemistry of Materials. This work systematically investigates demetalation of zeolites using a range of heteroatoms and framework types to identify effective methods for defect engineering. Congratulations Debasmita, Gabe, Shilpa, and Jaeyul!
2025 AIChE Annual Meeting
It was a very productive meeting in Boston. Our group presented 40 talks and posters and received 9 awards, including Debasmita’s MESD poster award. Photos of several events are shown below (clockwise): speakers from the session honoring Prof. Umit Ozkan; Prof. Rimer being elected a fellow; IAB lunch for the Welch Center; Rimer Group dinner; and speakers from the session honoring mid-career researchers in the CRE division.
Poster Award from Welch Foundation
Fiji received the second place poster award at the 2025 Welch Foundation Conference. His poster was titled “Design Principles for the Synthesis of Self-Pillared ZSM-5 Zeolite Nanosheets”. Congratulations Fiji!
Paper Accepted in Micropor. Mesopor. Mater.
Our paper in collaboration with the Lobo Group (U. Delaware) was accepted in Microporous and Mesoporous Materials. This work presents a new way to create nitrides as extra-framework species by removing framework metals. Congratulations Jaeyul and Seungwan!
2025 Energy Day
Members of the Rimer Group operated a booth on “Zeolites for Carbon Capture” where they gave demonstrations and introduced basic concepts of zeolites and their use as adsorbents for CO2.
Paper Accepted in Adv. Func. Mater.
Our paper in collaboration with the Vekilov Group (UH) and Sullivan Group (Johns Hopkins) was accepted in Advanced Functional Materials as part of a special issue dedicated to Helmut Colfen. This work discusses nonclassical mechanisms of inhibiting hematin crystallization through the use of antimalarial drugs. Congratulations Henry!
Paper Accepted in J. Phys. Chem. C
Our paper in collaboration with the Mittal (Texas A&M) and Mpourmpakis (U. Pittsburgh) groups was accepted in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C. This work focuses on understanding the complex roles of polyprotic and tautomeric species in ammonium urate crystallization over a range of growth conditions. Congratulations Si!
HAI-KUH Training Program
Prof. Rimer is leading the University of Houston’s participation in a new NIH-sponsored training program. The Texas Medical Center (TMC) has launched an incubator for kidney, urologic and hematologic training to strengthen the workforce and prepare students for impactful careers. Learn more about this program: UH News Article, TMC Announcement, and TMC Incubator.
Multiple Group Awards
The Rimer Group was awarded the 2025 ChESST Lab Safety Inspections Award (picture below). Dipayan received the 2025 Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award in the Department. Sambita was selected first place for the Summer Seminar Series Outstanding Presentation Award; and Sambita and Debasmita placed first and third for the Summer Seminar Series Outstanding 3MT Presentation Award. Vraj was selected for the 2025 OChEGS Best Poster Award (materials category) and Jaeyul received a Cullen Travel Award to attend the AIChE Annual Meeting. Well done everyone!
Paper Accepted in Crystal Growth & Design
We worked in collaboration with the Kwon Group at Texas A&M to computationally model the action of hydroxycitrate on calcium oxalate monohydrate crystallization to explain our experimental observations (Chung et al., Nature 2016) showing unique strain-induced mechanism of surface growth inhibition. Congratulations team!
Symposium Poster Award
Arshia received a poster award at the 2025 Welch Crystallization Center Symposium. Congratulations!
Welch Center for Advanced Bioactive Materials Crystallization
On September 5th we hosted the first Symposium for our Welch Catalyst Catalyst Center on the University of Houston campus. The event featured speakers from our center along with numerous members of the Industrial Advisory Board, which is comprised of representatives from eight pharmaceutical companies. We were also pleased to have Dr. Adam Kuspa (President of the Welch Foundation) in attendance to give opening remarks.
Chevron Fellowship
Debasmita was selected as one of eight students to receive a 2025 UH Chevron Energy Graduate Fellows Award. Her project focuses on carbon capture, which aligns with one of the major themes of the fellows program. Congratulations!
AIChE CRE Award
Sambita was one of three students selected for a named travel award: the 2025 Dr. Billy Bardin & Dr. Linh Le Catalysis and Reaction Engineering (CRE) Travel Award. Congratulations!
Gordon Conference Attendance
Three of our group members (Edgar, Sambita, and Debasmita) attended the Gordon Research Conference on Nanoporous Materials and Their Applications. They also participated in the Gordon Research Seminar, with Sambita serving as a session leader and Edgar gave an invited oral presentation.
Paper Accepted in Journal of Molecular Liquids
Our paper accepted in the Journal of Molecular Liquids focuses on the use of nanosized zeolites in liquids as sorbents for selective gas capture. This work was led by Dr. Tina Nenoff and Jessica Rimsza at Sandia National Lab with contributions from Georgia Tech (Prof. Ryan Lively, Lu Lu) and Pacific Northwest National Lab (Dr. Matthew Hurlock). Congratulations Chenfeng!
Successful PhD Defense
Congratulations to Kumari Shilpa (now Dr. Shilpa) for successfully defending her PhD dissertation. A huge thanks to Shilpa for all of her contributions to the group, and for her outstanding research. You will be missed!
AIChE Awards
2025 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Separations Division Graduate Student Research Award for Crystallization & Evaporation were granted to Manasa and Vraj. Congratulations!
Paper Accepted in ACS Biochemistry
Our paper accepted in Biochemistry focuses on the impact of antimalarials on nonclassical pathways of beta-hematin crystallization and the lifecycle of malaria parasites. This work was led by Profs. Peter Vekilov and Dr. David Sullivan (Johns Hopkins Univ.). Congratulations Henry!
Gordon Conference Attendance
Three of our group members (Si, Henry, and Manasa) attended the Gordon Research Conference on Crystal Growth and Assembly. They also participated in the Gordon Research Seminar, with Manasa serving as a session leader and Si gave an invited oral presentation.
Paper Accepted in JACS Au
Our paper accepted in JACS Au focuses on a secondary growth process to introduce surface roughness and remove internal defects in a one-dimensional zeolite to dramatically improve its catalytic performance. This work was performed in collaboration with Taimin Yang (Stockholm U.), Manuel Moliner (ITQ Valencia), and Ketjen (Jon Strohm and Heng Dai). Congratulations Shilpa and Sambita!
Paper Accepted in Communications Chemistry
Our paper accepted in Communications Chemistry focuses on the impact of antimalarials on nonclassical nucleation of beta-hematin. This work was led by Profs. Peter Vekilov and Jeremy Palmer (U. Houston) with contributions from Dr. David Sullivan (Johns Hopkins Univ.). Congratulations Wenchuan and Henry!
Successful PhD Defense
Congratulations to Zhiyin (now Dr. Niu) for successfully defending her PhD dissertation. Thank you Zhiyin for your outstanding work and contributions to the group. You will be missed!
Paper Accepted in PNAS
Our paper was accepted in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA on the natural bending and twisting of ammonium urate crystals. This work was in collaboration with Prof. Qing Tu (Texas A&M), Dr. Taimin Yang (Stockholm U.), Prof. Francisco Robles (U. Houston), Prof. Hector Calderon (Instituto Politecnico Nacional), and Molecular Vista. Congratulations Weiwei! Check out the UH News article.
Paper Accepted in Crystal Growth & Design
Our paper accepted in Crystal Growth & Design focuses on the use of organics and inorganics as accelerants of calcium oxalate dissolution as a potential therapy for kidney stone treatments. This work contributes to a special issue celebrating the 25th anniversary of the journal. Congratulations Vraj!
Rimer Group Meeting in Chicago
Current and former group members Vraj Chauhan (AbbVie intern), Rishabh Jain (UOP), Yu Liang (UOP), and Ricardo Sosa (AbbVie) got together in Chicago. It is great to see these group activities!
Paper Accepted in JACS
Our paper was accepted in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on nonclassical and classical mechanisms of zeolite nucleation on crystal seeds. This work was in collaboration with Prof. Valeria Molinero (University of Utah) and Dr. Sankaranarayanan (Argonne National Lab).
Paper Accepted in ACS Catalysis
Our paper was accepted in ACS Catalysis on the design of titanosilicate hierarchical zeolites as optimal catalysts for alkene epoxidation. This work was in collaboration with Prof. David Flaherty (Georgia Tech). Congratulations Chenfeng!
Successful PhD Defense
Congratulations to Dipayan (now Dr. Chakraborty) for successfully defending his PhD dissertation. Thank you Dipayan for your outstanding work and contributions to the group. You will be missed!
Paper Accepted in JACS
Our paper was accepted in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on the unique mechanism of zeolite SSZ-39 crystallization. This work was in collaboration with Dr. Taimin Yang (Stockholm University), the Chapman Group (Stony Brook University), the Chmelka Group (UC Santa Barbara), Profs. Mike Harold and Jeremy Palmer (University of Houston), and Dr. Roger Moulton (Sachem Inc.). Congratulations Zhiyin!
Paper Accepted in Chemistry of Materials
Our paper accepted in Chemistry of Materials focuses on the formation of solute-rich clusters for cholesterol in alcohol/water solvents and the impact of the growth environment on the formation of cholesterol solvates. This work is a collaboration with Prof. Peter Vekilov (University of Houston). Congratulations Dipayan and Wenchuan!
Southwest Catalysis Society Meeting
There were 12 posters presented at the 2025 Southwest Catalysis Society (SWCS) Meeting. Congratulations to Debasmita for winning a poster award (second year in a row). Prof. Rimer also received the SWCS Award for Applied Catalysis and presented the award plenary talk.
Paper Accepted in Crystal Growth & Design
Our paper accepted in Crystal Growth & Design focuses on the formation of solute-rich clusters as potential sites for nonclassical nucleation in organic solvents. This work was led by Prof. Peter Vekilov (University of Houston). Congratulations Mangala!
Paper Accepted in Nature Communications
Our paper was accepted in Nature Communications that is focused on the use of polyphosphates as disruptive inhibitors of calcium oxalate crystallization. This was an extensive project that involved three generation of graduate students and multiple collaborators at Rice University (Prof. Matt Jones and Dr. Tanguy Terlier) and the University of Houston (Prof. Peter Vekilov). Congratulations Doyoung, Bryan, and Vraj!
SWCS Award
Jeff is the recipient of the 2025 Southwest Catalysis Society (SWCS) Excellence in Applied Catalysis Award. He will be giving an award lecture at the 2025 Spring Symposium. Many thanks to former and current group members who are the primary reason for this honor.
NAM Travel Award
Amir received a Kokes Travel Award to attend the 29th North American Catalysis Society Meeting (NAM) in Atlanta, GA. Congratulations Amir!
Poster Award
Amir won second place in the poster competition at the 2025 Decarbonization Congress: Accelerating Decarbonization of E&P Operations held at the University of Houston. His poster was titled “Pairing Ga/Al Zeolites as Tandem Catalysts for Enhanced Olefin Production.” Congratulations Amir!
Viewpoint Published in ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng.
A viewpoint entitled “Dual-bed Radioiodine Capture from Complex Gas Streams with Zeolites: Regeneration and Reuse of Primary Sorbent Beds for Sustainable Waste Management” was published as part of a new collaborative DOE NEUP project.
Prof. Rimer Elected AIChE Fellow
Jeff was elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AIChE). Fellow is AIChE’s highest grade of membership and is an important resource for providing experience-based guidance to leadership and members. See the news article written by the University of Houston [Link].
Paper Accepted in PNAS
Our paper was accepted in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA on the first direct imaging of cholesterol monohydrate crystal growth at the microscopic level. This work was in collaboration with Prof. Peter Vekilov (U. Houston), Dr. Monika Warzecha (U. Strathclyde), and Dr. Taimin Yang (Stockholm U.). Congratulations Dipayan and Wenchuan! See the news article from the University of Houston [Link]
Rimer Selected to Write News and Views
Prof. Rimer wrote a News and Views in Nature Synthesis highlighting the work of Luo et al. on the use of electron microscopy to track detailed steps in a zeolite topotactic transformation.
Paper Accepted in JACS
Our paper was accepted in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on the identification of vitamin B2 as a unique modifier of ammonium urate, operating by dual kinetic and thermodynamic mechanisms that are uncommon among conventional inhibitors. This work was in collaboration with the Mittal Group (Texas A&M), Mpourmpakis Group (U. Pittsburgh), and the National Mammal Marine Foundation. Congratulations Si!
Welcome New Group Members
We are very pleased to welcome five new group members. Dr. Judith Mendoza Castro is joining as a postdoc (she received a PhD at Alicante with Prof. Javier Garcia Martinez). There are four PhD candidates joining the group: Abby Montierth (industry partnership with Ketjen; co-advised with Prof. Omar Abdelrhaman), David Ajala (co-advised with Prof. Jeremy Palmer), Emeka Ojukwu (co-advised with Prof. Jaci Conrad), and Sumit Ghosh. We are very excited to have you all join the research group!
AIChE Poster Award
Kumari Shilpa was selected 1st place in the 2024 AIChE Catalysis and Reaction Engineering (CRE) poster award competition for Area 20A. Congratulations Shilpa!
Paper Accepted in JACS
Jeff coauthored a paper that was accepted in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on the subject of crystal nucleation related to interzeolite transformations. This work was in collaboration with the Molinero Group (U. Utah) and Sankaranarayanan Group (Argonne National Lab) as part of a joint DOE project.
Symposium in Honor of Mike Ward
The symposium “Crystal Reflections: A Celebration of Michael D. Ward” was held on the New York University campus to celebrate Mike’s achievements and retirement. It was a wonderful event with many former students, collaborators, and colleagues. Congratulations and thank you Mike!
AIChE Graduate Student Presentation Awards
The Rimer Group received two awards in San Diego at the 2024 AIChE Annual Meeting: Amir received third place for the Inorganic Materials Graduate Student Award, and Vraj won the audience choice award for the 3MT Competition. Great job Amir and Vraj!
Welch Conference Poster Award
Jaeyul Kim received another poster award at the 2024 Welch Foundation Conference (2nd place in the graduate student category). Congratulations Jaeyul!
TEXPEC-2024 Poster Award
Congratulations to Jaeyul Kim who received a poster award at the 3rd Texas Pore Engineering Conference in Houston. Well done Jaeyul!
3rd Texas Pore Engineering Conference (TEXPEC-2024)
The University of Houston hosted TEXPEC-2024 on October 19/20. Prof. Rimer and Prof. Ognjen Miljanic co-chaired the event, which had 130 participants. Many thanks to the oral and poster presenters, along with the student workers who made this a successful conference.
Dipayan Receives Multiple Awards
Dipayan Chakraborty received the 2024 AIChE Pharmaceutical Discovery, Development & Manufacturing Travel Award. He also received the 2024 Organization of Chemical Engineering Graduate Students Seminar Award. Congratulations Dipayan!
ACS Project SEED
We were pleased to host high school student J’Lon Owen (Summer Creek High School) as part of the 2024 Summer ACS Project SEED at the University of Houston. Many thanks to the graduate students in the group who mentored his summer research (Edgar and Sambita shown here).
Welch Center Highlighted by Science
Prof. Rimer was interviewed for a recent news article in Science Magazine about the Welch Foundation’s new funding initiatives, including their Catalyst for Discovery Center Grants. We were the recipient of the inaugural grant to start the Center for Advanced Bioactive Materials Crystallization. Read the news article here: Chemists Follow a Trail to Texas
NASF Scholarship
Vraj Chauhan is the recipient of a 2024 National Association for Surface Finishing (NASF) Graduate Scholarship. Congratulations Vraj!
Sabbatical in Valencia, Spain
Prof. Rimer spent the Summer of 2024 at the Instituto de Tecnología Química (ITQ) in Valencia, Spain working with Dr. Manuel Moliner and the zeolite catalysis research group. He delivered a seminar on his research and established several ongoing collaborative projects focused on the rational design of zeolite catalysts.
AIChE Separations Award
Dipayan Chakraborty is the recipient of the 2024 AIChE Separations Division Graduate Student Research Award for Crystallization & Evaporation. He will be presented with this award at the national meeting in San Diego. Congratulations Dipayan! Read the UH News article here: [Link]
ACS Project SEED
This summer, our lab had the pleasure of hosting an ACS Project SEED high school student, J’Lon Owens. Graduate student mentors Amir, Edgar, and Sambita worked with J’Lon to engage him in hands-on experimental work in a rotational program that focused on various aspects of zeolite crystal engineering.
Student Talks at the GRC on Biomineralization
Two graduate students in our group were given speaking spots at the Gordon Research Conference on Biomineralization. Dipayan will be speaking about his work on cholesterol crystallization in the Gordon Research Seminar and Vraj was selected as a poster presenter for the Gordon Research Conference. Congratulations Dipayan and Vraj!
Rimer Interviewed by Chemistry World
Prof. Rimer was asked by Chemistry World to comment on a paper by Steinbock and coworkers published in PNAS entitled “Chemical composition from photos: Dried solution drops reveal a morphogenetic tree.”
Paper Accepted in Advanced Science
Our paper in collaboration with China Pharmaceutical University (Ting Cai) was accepted for publication in Advanced Science. This study reports the identification of a new molecule, tartronic acid, as a potential therapeutic for calcium oxalate kidney stones. Congratulations Si and Vraj!
Southwest Catalysis Society Meeting
There were 9 posters presented at the 2024 Southwest Catalysis Society (SWCS) Meeting. Congratulations to Debasmita for winning a poster award. It was also a pleasure for students in the group to be introduced to their academic grandfather, Dion Vlachos. We took a picture of three generations of the academic line to capture the moment!
Paper Accepted in Journal of Catalysis
Our paper was accepted for the special issue celebrating the 60th Commemorative Anniversary of the Journal of Catalysis. Here we report new findings on the impact of gallium as an active site in zeolites for single bed dehydration reactions and tandem catalysis for the production of light olefins. Congratulations Amir, Deependra, and Jaeyul!
Catalysis Club of Philadelphia Award
Prof. Rimer received the 2024 Catalysis Club of Philadelphia (CCP) Award. This honor would not have been possible without the many fantastic students and postdocs in the research group over the past 15 years. Thank you all!
Paper Accepted in Chemical Reviews
Our review article on zeolite crystallization mechanisms was accepted for publication in Chemical Reviews. This was a major effort to compile a summary of current understandings of amorphous precursors, nucleation, and crystal growth that we hope will be a useful resource for the porous materials community. Congratulations Adam and Shilpa!
Paper Accepted in Small
Our paper on the nonclassical pathways of nickel oxide crystallization was accepted for publication in Small. This work was part of a collaboration with SABIC (Siva China and David West) and the University of New Mexico (Abhaya Datye). Congratulations Mariano!
Invited Talk at NECZA
Jeff gave a talk at the 2023 Northeast Corridor Zeolite Association Meeting held at Villanova University. This turned out to be a large Lobo Group reunion for many past and present members. Left to Right: Roshaan Surendhran, Nicholas Houck, Kaveri Sawant (Program Chair), Joseph Fedeyko, Allen Burton, Jeffrey Rimer (Invited Speaker), Raul Lobo (Invited Speaker), Trong Pham, Michael Smith (President Elect), Mi Jen Kuo, Nikolas Angyal, Enerelt Burentugs
Paper Accepted in Chem. Sci.
Our paper on the effects of hydration mismatch and cooperativity of inorganic structure-directing agents on zeolite CHA crystallization was accepted for publication in Chemical Science. Congratulations Adam, Gabe, and Nathan!
College Best Dissertation Award
Adam J. Mallette is the recipient of the 2023 Best Dissertation Award (2nd Prize) in the Cullen College of Engineering. Congratulations Adam! Read the UH News article here: [Link]
Article in C&E News
Our Welch Center was highlighted in a recent issue of Chemical & Engineering News (ACS Publications). Read more about it: [Link]
Highlighting Kidney Stone Research
The University of Houston has written two stories highlighting the work of the Rimer Group and collaborators on kidney stone research. Our recent NIH R01 grant with UT Southwestern is advancing studies of hydroxycitrate as a new therapeutic for calcium stones by expanding to human trials and animal studies [UH Article]. We have also been working with collaborators on a project funded by the Office of Naval Research on the topic of dolphin kidney stones where fundamental findings are leading to new insights that could impact the design of pharmaceuticals [UH Article]. Both projects will play a role in the recently established Welch Catalyst Center for Advanced Bioactive Materials Crystallization.
Gordon Research Conference
Jeff chaired the 2023 GRC on Nanoporous Materials and Their Applications on August 5 – 11 at Proctor Academy in New Hampshire. There were four posters from the Rimer Group. Many thanks to the numerous speakers, discussion leaders, poster presenters, and general attendees. Also a special thanks to Chris Lew (vice chair) and the GRS co-chairs (Austin and Jenna) for making this a successful event!
Graduate Students Awarded Fellowships
Two Rimer Group members were recipients of the Axalta Bright Futures Scholarship. These awards are sponsored by Axalta, a global leader in the coatings industry. Congratulations Dipayan and Vraj!
UH Awarded an Inaugural Welch Foundation Catalyst for Discovery Center Grant
Our team at the University of Houston was awarded a $5,000,000 grant to establish the Welch Center for Advanced Bioactive Materials Crystallization. Stay tuned for more news from the center. For more information of this program, see the Welch Foundation webpage, their video highlighting our center, and the news articles from UH and the College of Engineering. Congratulations to all team members!
Adam Receives Paper Award from DOE
The Department of Energy Nuclear Energy University Program (DOE-NEUP) awarded Adam Mallette the best paper award for his publication titled “The effect of metals on zeolite crystallization kinetics with relevance to nuclear waste glass corrosion.” This award was given for the competition for graduate students attending minority serving institutions. Congratulations Adam!
Live on Twitter!
The Rimer Group now has a Twitter account. Follow us live on @UH_RimerGroup.