​My interest is focused on the synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of zeolite and zeotype materials for catalysis, environmental and medical applications.

My current mission deals with encapsulating nobel metal nanoparticles in zeolites to achieve a controllable activity/selectivity towards catalytic reactions. Studying the properties of these materials and forecasting their behavior is accessed by in-depth spectroscopic characterizations before testing them in catalytic systems (at laboratory scale).

• Zeolite nanocrystals protect the performance of organic additives and adsorb acid compounds during lubricants oxida... 
  M. Zaarour,* H. El Siblani, N. Arnault, P. Boullay, S. Mintova*
  Materials, 12, 2830, (2019)
• A facile Route toward the Increase of oxygen content in nanosized zeolite by insertion of cerium and fluorinated co... 
  S. Komaty, C. Anfray, M. Zaarour, H.Awala, V. Ruaux, S. Valable, S. Mintova
  Molecules 2018, 23, 37, (2018)
• Hydrogen positions in single nanocrystals revealed by electron diffraction. 
  L. Palatinus, P. Boullay, P. Brazda, O. Perez, M. Klementova, S. Petit, V. Eigner, M....
  Science, 355, 166-169 , (2017)
• Silver confined within zeolite EMT nanoparticles: preparation and antibacterial properties. 
  B. Dong, S. Belkhair, M. Zaarour, L. Fisher, J. Verran, L. Tosheva, R. Retoux, J.-P. Gils...
  Nanoscale, 6, 10859-10864, (2014)
• Photochemical preparation of silver nanoparticles supported on zeolite crystals. 
  M. Zaarour, M. El Roz, B. Dong, R. Retoux, R. Aad, J. Cardin, C. Dufour, F. Gourbilleau, J...
  Langmuir, 30, 6250-6256. , (2014)
• Progress in zeolite synthesis promotes advanced applications. 
  M. Zaarour, B. Dong, I. Naydenova, R. Retoux, S. Mintova
  Micropor. Mesopor. Mat., 189, 11-21, (2014)

• Ph.D. in Organometallic Chemistry, University of Rennes 1, Rennes, France.
• 2009: International Master Degree in Catalysis, Green, and Molecular Chemistry, University of Rennes1, Rennes, France.

• 2019-...: Post-doctoral fellow, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
• 2016-2019: Researcher, Laboratory of Catalysis and Spectrochemistry (LCS-ENSICAEN), Caen, France.
• 2013-2015: Post-doctoral fellow, Laboratory of Catalysis and Spectrochemistry (LCS-ENSICAEN), Caen, France.
• 2009-2012: Ph.D. researcher, University of Rennes 1, Rennes, France.

• Club of young chemists (Normandy) of French Chemical Society "Société Chimique de France": Founder, treasurer (2018), and ex-president (2014-2016).
• French Chemical Society "Société Chimique de France member of senior regional office (Normandy Region, 2015 - 2016); member since 2011.
• ·"European Young Chemists' Network ": member since 2015

• ​2017: Outstanding Paper Award of the European Microscopy Society, Section Instrumentation and Technique Development for the paper: “Hydrogen positions in single nanocrystals revealed by electron diffraction, Science 2017, 355, 166-169“.