Zeolites are crystalline inorganic materials whose oxide-based framework is built with corner-sharing TO4 tetrahedrons, where T refers to a tetrahedral atom, most commonly Si and Al. Thanks to their well-defined structure and tunable material properties, zeolites are frequently used as catalysts in all kinds of applications, from industrial processes to household products such as water softeners in detergent. For his Ph.D. research, Shaojie Li developed new and cost-effective ways to synthesize nano-sized zeolites.
