Gerhard Ertl

Physicist

Gerhard Ertl was born in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany on October 10th, 1936 and is the Physicist. At the age of 88, Gerhard Ertl biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.

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Date of Birth
October 10, 1936
Nationality
Germany
Place of Birth
Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Age
88 years old
Zodiac Sign
Libra
Profession
Chemist, Physicist, University Teacher
Gerhard Ertl Height, Weight, Eye Color and Hair Color

At 88 years old, Gerhard Ertl physical status not available right now. We will update Gerhard Ertl's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

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Gerhard Ertl Religion, Education, and Hobbies
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Hobbies
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Education
University of Stuttgart, Technical University of Munich
Gerhard Ertl Spouse(s), Children, Affair, Parents, and Family
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Children
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Gerhard Ertl Career

After completing his PhD, he became an assistant and lecturer at Technical University of Munich (1965–1968). From 1968 to 1973, he was Professor and Director at Technical University of Hannover; then, he became a Professor at Institute for Physical Chemistry, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (1973–1986). 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).

He became the director at the Fritz Haber Institute of the MPG from 1986 till his retirement in 2004. 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.

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

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."

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, GB£1.15 million), was announced on Ertl's 71st birthday. "I am speechless", Ertl told Associated Press from his office in Berlin. "I was not counting on this."

As of 2021, Ertl has an h-index of 122 according to Scopus.

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 identify as Christian.

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