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{{Short description|German physicist (born 1936)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox scientist
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Gerhard Ertl
| name = Gerhard Ertl
| image = Prof Ertl-Portrait.jpg
| image = Prof Ertl-Portrait.jpg
| caption = Ertl in 2007
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1936|10|10}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1936|10|10}}
| birth_place = [[Bad Cannstatt|Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt]], [[Baden-Württemberg]], [[Germany]]
| birth_place = [[Bad Cannstatt|Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt]], Baden-Württemberg, Germany
| residence = [[Germany]]
| nationality = German
| nationality = [[Germany]]
| field = [[Surface chemistry]]
| field = [[Surface chemistry]]
| work_institution = {{Nowrap|[[Technical University of Munich]]<br>[[Leibniz University Hannover|Technical University of Hannover]]<br>[[Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich]]<br>[[Fritz Haber Institute of the MPG]]}}
| work_institution = {{Nowrap|[[Technical University of Munich]]<br>[[Leibniz University Hannover]]<br>[[Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich]]<br>[[Fritz Haber Institute of the MPG]]}}
| alma_mater = [[University of Stuttgart]]<br>[[Technical University of Munich]]
| alma_mater = [[University of Stuttgart]]<br>[[Technical University of Munich]]
| doctoral_advisor = [[Heinz Gerischer]]
| doctoral_advisor = [[Heinz Gerischer]]
| doctoral_students = [[Martin Wolf (Physicist)|Martin Wolf]]
| known_for = [[Surface chemistry]]
| known_for = [[Surface chemistry]]
| prizes = [[Japan Prize]] (1992)<ref name=jp>[http://www.japanprize.jp/en/laureates_by_year1990.html Laureates of the Japan Prize]. japanprize.jp</ref><br>[[Wolf Prize in Chemistry]] (1998)<br>[[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] (2007)<br>[[Otto Hahn Prize]] (2007)<br>[[Faraday Lectureship Prize]] (2007)
| prizes = [[EPS Europhysics Prize]] (1992)<br>[[Japan Prize]] (1992)<ref name=jp>[http://www.japanprize.jp/en/laureates_by_year1990.html Laureates of the Japan Prize]. japanprize.jp</ref><br>[[Wolf Prize in Chemistry]] (1998)<br>[[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] (2007)<br>[[Otto Hahn Prize]] (2007)<br>[[Faraday Lectureship Prize]] (2007)
| religion = [[Catholic]] <ref name=cicero>{{cite news|author=Till Weishaupt|title=Glauben Sie an Gott?|url=http://www.cicero.de/kapital/glauben-sie-gott/38343|work=Cicero|date=December 2007|quote=Translated from German: Oh, yes, I believe in God. (...) I am a Christian and I try to live as a Christian (...) I read the Bible very often and I try to understand it.|access-date=3 September 2014}}</ref>
| footnotes =
| footnotes =
}}
}}


'''Gerhard Ertl''' (born 10 October 1936) is a [[German people|German]] [[physicist]] and a Professor [[emeritus]] at the Department of Physical Chemistry, [[Fritz Haber Institute of the MPG|Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft]] in [[Berlin]], [[Germany]]. Ertl's research laid the foundation of modern [[surface chemistry]], which has helped explain how fuel cells produce energy without pollution, how catalytic converters clean up car exhausts and even why iron rusts, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.
'''Gerhard Ertl''' ({{IPA|de|ˈɡeːɐ̯haʁt ˈʔɛʁtl̩|-|De-Gerhard Ertl.ogg}}; born 10 October 1936) is a German [[physicist]] and a Professor [[:wikt:emeritus|emeritus]] at the Department of Physical Chemistry, [[Fritz Haber Institute of the MPG|Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft]] in Berlin, Germany. Ertl's research laid the foundation of modern [[surface chemistry]], which has helped explain how fuel cells produce energy without pollution, how catalytic converters clean up car exhausts and even why iron rusts, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.


His work has paved the way for development of cleaner energy sources and will guide the development of fuel cells, said Astrid Graslund, secretary of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.
His work has paved the way for development of cleaner energy sources and will guide the development of fuel cells, said Astrid Graslund, secretary of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.
Line 23: Line 24:
He was awarded the 2007 [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] for his studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces. The Nobel academy said Ertl provided a detailed description of how chemical reactions take place on surfaces. His findings applied in both academic studies and industrial development, the academy said. “Surface chemistry can even explain the destruction of the ozone layer, as vital steps in the reaction actually take place on the surfaces of small crystals of ice in the stratosphere,” the award citation reads.
He was awarded the 2007 [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] for his studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces. The Nobel academy said Ertl provided a detailed description of how chemical reactions take place on surfaces. His findings applied in both academic studies and industrial development, the academy said. “Surface chemistry can even explain the destruction of the ozone layer, as vital steps in the reaction actually take place on the surfaces of small crystals of ice in the stratosphere,” the award citation reads.


In 2015, Ertl signed the [[Mainau Declaration|Mainau Declaration 2015 on Climate Change]] on the final day of the 65th [[Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings|Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting]]. The declaration was signed by a total of 76 Nobel Laureates and handed to then-President of the French Republic, [[François Hollande]], as part of the successful [[Paris Climate Change Conference|COP21 climate summit]] in Paris.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mainaudeclaration.org/|title=Mainau Declaration|website=www.mainaudeclaration.org|access-date=2018-01-11}}</ref>
In 2015, Ertl signed the [[Mainau Declaration|Mainau Declaration 2015 on Climate Change]] on the final day of the 65th [[Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings|Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting]]. The declaration was signed by a total of 76 Nobel Laureates and handed to then-President of the French Republic, [[François Hollande]], as part of the [[Paris Climate Change Conference|COP21 climate summit]] in Paris.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mainaudeclaration.org/|title=Mainau Declaration|website=www.mainaudeclaration.org|access-date=11 January 2018}}</ref>


==Biography==
==Biography==
Ertl was born in [[Stuttgart]], Germany, where he studied physics from 1955 to 1957 at the [[University of Stuttgart|Technical University of Stuttgart]] and then at the [[University of Paris]] (1957–1958) and [[Ludwig Maximilian University]] in [[Munich]] (1958–1959). He completed his [[Diplom]] in Physics at the Technical University of Stuttgart in 1961, followed his thesis advisor [[Heinz Gerischer]] from the [[Max Planck Institute for Metals Research]] in Stuttgart to Munich and received his [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]] degree from the [[Technical University of Munich]] in 1965.
Ertl was born in [[Stuttgart]], Germany, where he studied physics from 1955 to 1957 at the [[University of Stuttgart|Technische Hochschule Stuttgart]] and then at the [[University of Paris]] (1957–1958) and [[Ludwig Maximilian University]] in Munich (1958–1959). He completed his [[Diplom]] in Physics at the Technische Hochschule Stuttgart in 1961, followed his thesis advisor [[Heinz Gerischer]] from the [[Max Planck Institute for Metals Research]] in Stuttgart to Munich and received his PhD degree from the [[Technische Hochschule München]] in 1965.


===Academic career===
===Academic career===
After completing his PhD, he became an assistant and lecturer at [[Technical University of Munich]] (1965–1968).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Prof. Dr. Gerhard Ertl|url=http://www.fhi-berlin.mpg.de/pc/ertl/#CV|access-date=2020-10-21|website=Max Planck Society}}</ref> From 1968 to 1973, he was Professor and Director at [[Leibniz University Hannover|Technical University of Hannover]]; then, he became a Professor at Institute for Physical Chemistry, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (1973–1986).<ref name=":0" /> During the 1970s and 80s, he was also a Visiting Professor at the [[California Institute of Technology]] (1976-1977), the [[University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee]] (1979) and the [[University of California, Berkeley]] (1981-82).<ref name=":0" />
After completing his PhD, he became an assistant and lecturer at [[Technische Hochschule München]] (1965–1968).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Prof. Dr. Gerhard Ertl|url=http://www.fhi-berlin.mpg.de/pc/ertl/#CV|access-date=21 October 2020|website=Max Planck Society}}</ref> From 1968 to 1973, he was professor and director at [[Leibniz University Hannover|Technische Hochschule Hannover]]; then, he became a professor at Institute for Physical Chemistry, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (1973–1986).<ref name=":0" /> During the 1970s and 80s, he was also a visiting professor at the [[California Institute of Technology]] (1976–1977), the [[University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee]] (1979) and the [[University of California, Berkeley]] (1981–82).<ref name=":0" />


He became the director at the [[Fritz Haber Institute of the MPG]] from 1986 till his retirement in 2004.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Freund, H.-J.|author2=Knözinger, H.|year=2004|title=Foreword for the Gerhard Ertl Festschrift|url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jp049239i|journal=[[J. Phys. Chem. B]]|volume=108|issue=38|pages=14183–14186|doi=10.1021/jp049239i|access-date=5 June 2008}}</ref> In 1986, as honors, he was named "Honorary Professor" at the [[Free University of Berlin]] and at the [[Technical University of Berlin]], and in 1996 at the [[Humboldt University of Berlin]].<ref name=":0" />
He became the director at the [[Fritz Haber Institute of the MPG]] from 1986 till his retirement in 2004.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Freund, H.-J.|author2=Knözinger, H.|year=2004|title=Foreword for the Gerhard Ertl Festschrift|url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jp049239i|journal=[[J. Phys. Chem. B]]|volume=108|issue=38|pages=14183–14186|doi=10.1021/jp049239i|access-date=5 June 2008}}</ref> In 1986, as honors, he was named "Honorary Professor" at the [[Free University of Berlin]] and at the [[Technische Universität Berlin]], and in 1996 at the [[Humboldt University of Berlin]].<ref name=":0" />


From 2008 to 2016, Ertl served as a member of the university council of [[Technische Universität Darmstadt]].<ref name="idw">{{cite web | title=Chemie-Nobelpreisträger Ertl und Uni-Rektor Winckler neu im Hochschulrat der TU Darmstadt | website=idw | url=https://idw-online.de/de/news246718 | language=de | access-date=15 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tu-darmstadt.de/media/daa_responsives_design/01_die_universitaet_medien/aktuelles_6/publikationen_km/hoch3/pdf/hoch3_2016_2.pdf|title=TU Darmstadt magazine, hoch3 2016, p. 17|accessdate=15 October 2021}}</ref>
Ertl now serves in his second term as a member of the university council of [[Technische Universität Darmstadt]].


===Research===
===Research===
Gerhard Ertl is known for determining the detailed molecular mechanisms of the catalytic synthesis of [[ammonia]] over [[iron]] ([[Haber Bosch process]]) and the catalytic oxidation of [[carbon monoxide]] over [[platinum]] ([[catalytic converter]]). During his research he discovered the important phenomenon of oscillatory reactions on platinum surfaces and, using photoelectron microscopy, was able to image for the first time, the oscillating changes in surface structure and coverage that occur during reaction.
Gerhard Ertl is known for determining the detailed molecular mechanisms of the catalytic synthesis of [[ammonia]] over iron ([[Haber Bosch process]]) and the catalytic oxidation of [[carbon monoxide]] over [[platinum]] ([[catalytic converter]]). During his research he discovered the important phenomenon of oscillatory reactions on platinum surfaces and, using photoelectron microscopy, was able to image for the first time, the oscillating changes in surface structure and coverage that occur during reaction.


He always used new observation techniques like [[low-energy electron diffraction]] (LEED) at the beginning of his career, later [[ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy]] (UPS) and [[scanning tunneling microscope]] (STM) yielding ground breaking results.
He always used new observation techniques like [[low-energy electron diffraction]] (LEED) at the beginning of his career, later [[ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy]] (UPS) and [[scanning tunneling microscope]] (STM) yielding ground breaking results.
He won the [[Wolf Prize in Chemistry]] in 1998 along with [[Gabor A. Somorjai]] of the University of California, Berkeley for "their outstanding contributions to the field of the [[surface science]] in general and for their elucidation of fundamental mechanisms of heterogeneous catalytic reactions at single crystal surface in particular."<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Wolf Foundation]] |title=The 2008 Wolf Foundation Prize in Chemistry |url=http://www.wolffund.org.il/cat.asp?id=15&cat_title=CHEMISTRY |access-date=5 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070517203044/http://www.wolffund.org.il/cat.asp?id=15&cat_title=CHEMISTRY |archive-date=17 May 2007 |df=dmy }}</ref>
He won the [[Wolf Prize in Chemistry]] in 1998 along with [[Gabor A. Somorjai]] of the University of California, Berkeley for "their outstanding contributions to the field of the [[surface science]] in general and for their elucidation of fundamental mechanisms of heterogeneous catalytic reactions at single crystal surface in particular."<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Wolf Foundation]] |title=The 2008 Wolf Foundation Prize in Chemistry |url=http://www.wolffund.org.il/cat.asp?id=15&cat_title=CHEMISTRY |access-date=5 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070517203044/http://www.wolffund.org.il/cat.asp?id=15&cat_title=CHEMISTRY |archive-date=17 May 2007 }}</ref>


Gerhard Ertl was awarded the 2007 [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] for his studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces. The award, worth [[Swedish Krona|SEK]] 10 million ([[United States dollar|US$]]1.7 million, [[Pound sterling|GB£]]1.15 million), was announced on Ertl's 71st birthday.<ref>{{cite press release|date=10 October 2007|publisher=[[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]]|title=The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2007|url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2007/press.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/10/nobel.chemistry.ap/index.html |title=Nobel for ozone layer scientist |date=11 October 2007 |agency=Associated Press |work=CNN |access-date=5 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309072346/http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/10/nobel.chemistry.ap/index.html |archive-date=9 March 2008 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref> "I am speechless", Ertl told Associated Press from his office in Berlin. "I was not counting on this."<ref>{{cite news|author=Karl Ritter|title=German receives chemistry Nobel|work=Worcester Telegram|url=http://www.telegram.com/article/20071011/NEWS/710110562/1052|date=11 October 2007|access-date=5 June 2008}}</ref>
Gerhard Ertl was awarded the 2007 [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] for his studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces. The award, worth [[Swedish Krona|SEK]] 10 million ([[United States dollar|US$]]1.7 million, [[Pound sterling|£]]1.15 million), was announced on Ertl's 71st birthday.<ref>{{cite press release|date=10 October 2007|publisher=[[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]]|title=The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2007|url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2007/press.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/10/nobel.chemistry.ap/index.html |title=Nobel for ozone layer scientist |date=11 October 2007 |agency=Associated Press |work=CNN |access-date=5 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309072346/http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/10/nobel.chemistry.ap/index.html |archive-date=9 March 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> "I am speechless", Ertl told Associated Press from his office in Berlin. "I was not counting on this."<ref>{{cite news|author=Karl Ritter|title=German receives chemistry Nobel|work=Worcester Telegram|url=http://www.telegram.com/article/20071011/NEWS/710110562/1052|date=11 October 2007|access-date=5 June 2008}}</ref>

{{As of|November 2022}}, Ertl has an [[h-index]] of 124 according to [[Scopus]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=7102931078|title=Scopus preview – Hartl, Franz Ulrich – Author details – Scopus|website=www.scopus.com|accessdate=15 October 2021}}</ref>


===Personal life===
===Personal life===
Ertl and his wife Barbara have two children and several grandchildren. His hobbies include playing the piano and also playing with his cats when he is not doing experiments.
Ertl and his wife Barbara have two children and several grandchildren. His hobbies include playing the piano and also playing with his cats when he is not doing experiments. He identifies as Christian.<ref name=cicero>{{cite news|author=Till Weishaupt|title=Glauben Sie an Gott?|url=http://www.cicero.de/kapital/glauben-sie-gott/38343|work=Cicero|date=December 2007|quote=Translated from German: Oh, yes, I believe in God. (...) I am a Christian and I try to live as a Christian (...) I read the Bible very often and I try to understand it.|access-date=3 September 2014}}</ref>


==Publications==
==Publications==
{{cite book | last=Ertl | first=Gerhard | title=My Life with Science | publisher=GNT-Verlag | publication-place=Berlin | year=2023 | isbn=978-3-86225-131-5}}
⚫
Ertl is one of the editors of the ''Handbook of Heterogeneous Catalysis''. ({{ISBN|9783527312412}})

⚫
Ertl is one of the editors of the ''Handbook of Heterogeneous Catalysis''. ({{ISBN|978-3-527-31241-2}})


Ertl is the co-editor of ''Engineering Of Chemical Complexity''. 2013, World Scientific Publishing. ({{ISBN|9789814390453}})
Ertl is the co-editor of ''Engineering Of Chemical Complexity''. 2013, World Scientific Publishing. ({{ISBN|978-981-4390-45-3}})


==References==
==References==
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{{2007 Nobel Prize Winners}}
{{2007 Nobel Prize Winners}}
{{Wolf Prize in Chemistry}}
{{Wolf Prize in Chemistry}}
{{Japan Prize}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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[[Category:Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni]]
[[Category:Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni]]
[[Category:Technical University of Munich alumni]]
[[Category:Technical University of Munich alumni]]
[[Category:Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich faculty]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich]]
[[Category:Wolf Prize in Chemistry laureates]]
[[Category:Wolf Prize in Chemistry laureates]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
[[Category:Humboldt University of Berlin faculty]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg]]
[[Category:Free University of Berlin faculty]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin]]
[[Category:Faraday Lecturers]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the Free University of Berlin]]
[[Category:Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Foreign Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Foreign members of the Russian Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Max Planck Society people]]
[[Category:Max Planck Society people]]
[[Category:Members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Members of the Polish Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Members of the Polish Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Members of the Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art]]
[[Category:Members of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina]]
[[Category:Physical chemists]]
[[Category:Max Planck Institute directors]]

Latest revision as of 18:08, 18 November 2024

Gerhard Ertl
Ertl in 2007
Born (1936-10-10) 10 October 1936 (age 88)
Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
NationalityGerman
Alma materUniversity of Stuttgart
Technical University of Munich
Known forSurface chemistry
AwardsEPS Europhysics Prize (1992)
Japan Prize (1992)[1]
Wolf Prize in Chemistry (1998)
Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2007)
Otto Hahn Prize (2007)
Faraday Lectureship Prize (2007)
Scientific career
FieldsSurface chemistry
InstitutionsTechnical University of Munich
Leibniz University Hannover
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Fritz Haber Institute of the MPG
Doctoral advisorHeinz Gerischer
Doctoral studentsMartin Wolf

Gerhard Ertl (German pronunciation: [ˈɡeːɐ̯haʁt ˈʔɛʁtl̩] ⓘ; born 10 October 1936) is a German physicist and a Professor emeritus at the Department of Physical Chemistry, Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft in Berlin, Germany. Ertl's research laid the foundation of modern surface chemistry, which has helped explain how fuel cells produce energy without pollution, how catalytic converters clean up car exhausts and even why iron rusts, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.

His work has paved the way for development of cleaner energy sources and will guide the development of fuel cells, said Astrid Graslund, secretary of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.

He was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces. The Nobel academy said Ertl provided a detailed description of how chemical reactions take place on surfaces. His findings applied in both academic studies and industrial development, the academy said. “Surface chemistry can even explain the destruction of the ozone layer, as vital steps in the reaction actually take place on the surfaces of small crystals of ice in the stratosphere,” the award citation reads.

In 2015, Ertl signed the Mainau Declaration 2015 on Climate Change on the final day of the 65th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. The declaration was signed by a total of 76 Nobel Laureates and handed to then-President of the French Republic, François Hollande, as part of the COP21 climate summit in Paris.[2]

Biography

[edit]

Ertl was born in Stuttgart, Germany, where he studied physics from 1955 to 1957 at the Technische Hochschule Stuttgart and then at the University of Paris (1957–1958) and Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich (1958–1959). He completed his Diplom in Physics at the Technische Hochschule Stuttgart in 1961, followed his thesis advisor Heinz Gerischer from the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research in Stuttgart to Munich and received his PhD degree from the Technische Hochschule München in 1965.

Academic career

[edit]

After completing his PhD, he became an assistant and lecturer at Technische Hochschule München (1965–1968).[3] From 1968 to 1973, he was professor and director at Technische Hochschule Hannover; then, he became a professor at Institute for Physical Chemistry, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (1973–1986).[3] During the 1970s and 80s, he was also a visiting professor at the California Institute of Technology (1976–1977), the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (1979) and the University of California, Berkeley (1981–82).[3]

He became the director at the Fritz Haber Institute of the MPG from 1986 till his retirement in 2004.[4] In 1986, as honors, he was named "Honorary Professor" at the Free University of Berlin and at the Technische Universität Berlin, and in 1996 at the Humboldt University of Berlin.[3]

From 2008 to 2016, Ertl served as a member of the university council of Technische Universität Darmstadt.[5][6]

Research

[edit]

Gerhard Ertl is known for determining the detailed molecular mechanisms of the catalytic synthesis of ammonia over iron (Haber Bosch process) and the catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide over platinum (catalytic converter). During his research he discovered the important phenomenon of oscillatory reactions on platinum surfaces and, using photoelectron microscopy, was able to image for the first time, the oscillating changes in surface structure and coverage that occur during reaction.

He always used new observation techniques like low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) at the beginning of his career, later ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and scanning tunneling microscope (STM) yielding ground breaking results. He won the Wolf Prize in Chemistry in 1998 along with Gabor A. Somorjai of the University of California, Berkeley for "their outstanding contributions to the field of the surface science in general and for their elucidation of fundamental mechanisms of heterogeneous catalytic reactions at single crystal surface in particular."[7]

Gerhard Ertl was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces. The award, worth SEK 10 million (US$1.7 million, £1.15 million), was announced on Ertl's 71st birthday.[8][9] "I am speechless", Ertl told Associated Press from his office in Berlin. "I was not counting on this."[10]

As of November 2022, Ertl has an h-index of 124 according to Scopus.[11]

Personal life

[edit]

Ertl and his wife Barbara have two children and several grandchildren. His hobbies include playing the piano and also playing with his cats when he is not doing experiments. He identifies as Christian.[12]

Publications

[edit]

Ertl, Gerhard (2023). My Life with Science. Berlin: GNT-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-86225-131-5.

Ertl is one of the editors of the Handbook of Heterogeneous Catalysis. (ISBN 978-3-527-31241-2)

Ertl is the co-editor of Engineering Of Chemical Complexity. 2013, World Scientific Publishing. (ISBN 978-981-4390-45-3)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Laureates of the Japan Prize. japanprize.jp
  2. ^ "Mainau Declaration". www.mainaudeclaration.org. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d "Prof. Dr. Gerhard Ertl". Max Planck Society. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  4. ^ Freund, H.-J.; Knözinger, H. (2004). "Foreword for the Gerhard Ertl Festschrift". J. Phys. Chem. B. 108 (38): 14183–14186. doi:10.1021/jp049239i. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  5. ^ "Chemie-Nobelpreisträger Ertl und Uni-Rektor Winckler neu im Hochschulrat der TU Darmstadt". idw (in German). Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  6. ^ "TU Darmstadt magazine, hoch3 2016, p. 17" (PDF). Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  7. ^ "The 2008 Wolf Foundation Prize in Chemistry". Wolf Foundation. Archived from the original on 17 May 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  8. ^ "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2007" (Press release). Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. 10 October 2007.
  9. ^ "Nobel for ozone layer scientist". CNN. Associated Press. 11 October 2007. Archived from the original on 9 March 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  10. ^ Karl Ritter (11 October 2007). "German receives chemistry Nobel". Worcester Telegram. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  11. ^ "Scopus preview – Hartl, Franz Ulrich – Author details – Scopus". www.scopus.com. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  12. ^ Till Weishaupt (December 2007). "Glauben Sie an Gott?". Cicero. Retrieved 3 September 2014. Translated from German: Oh, yes, I believe in God. (...) I am a Christian and I try to live as a Christian (...) I read the Bible very often and I try to understand it.
[edit]
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