Chemistry Nobel Prize goes to surface chemist

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry has gone to German Gerhard Ertl for groundbreaking surface chemistry work that helped us understand why iron rusts how fuel cells function and how the catalysts in our cars work.

Gerhard Ertl takes the Chemistry Nobel Proze for his work on surface chemistry

In the 1960s Gerhard Ertl was one of the first to see the potential of new processes developed in the semiconductor industry. Step by step he created a methodology for surface chemistry by demonstrating how different experimental procedures can be used to provide a complete picture of a surface reaction.

Ertl founded an experimental school of thought by showing how reliable results can be attained in this difficult area of research. His insights have provided the scientific basis of modern surface chemistry - his methodology is used in both academic research and the industrial development of chemical processes.

This science requires advanced high-vacuum experimental equipment as the aim is to observe how individual layers of atoms and molecules behave on the extremely pure surface of a metal, for instance.

The approach developed by Ertl is based not least on his studies of the Haber-Bosch process, in which nitrogen is extracted from the air for inclusion in artificial fertilisers. This reaction, which functions using an iron surface as its catalyst, has enormous economic significance because the availability of nitrogen for growing plants is often restricted. Ertl has also studied the oxidation of carbon monoxide on platinum, a reaction that takes place in the catalyst of cars to clean exhaust emissions.