Emiel Hensen
Department / Institute

RESEARCH PROFILE
The research of Emiel Hensen focuses on the fundamental aspects of catalyzed reactions relevant to clean and sustainable processes for the production of fuels and chemicals. The aim hereby is to identify active sites and understand reaction mechanisms. The working approach is to combine
- advanced operando characterization methods - X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, vibrational spectroscopy applied to well-defined catalyst model systems;
- theoretical modeling (density functional theory, microkinetics); and
- performance testing (kinetics, high-throughput methods, transient techniques),
to guide the design and synthesis of nanoscopically organized and well-defined chemically functionalized catalytic solid materials. The materials explored include primarily highly structured porous materials containing reactive centers such as protons, metal ions and metal, metal oxide and metal sulfides clusters.
Applications are directed towards the improvement of current industrial chemical processes and novel processes based on renewable feedstock such as biomass. Catalytic target reactions are methane activation, the Fischer-Tropsch reaction, conversion of biogenic molecules such as sugars and lignin, and metal-support cooperativity in selective oxidation. In these areas of research Hensen has made many innovative, internationally recognized scientific contributions. Hensen has pioneered the fields of Lewis-acid catalysed conversion of sugars, catalytic upgrading of lignin, synthesis of hierarchical zeolites, and microkinetics simulations of heterogeneous reactions.
Realizing the clean energy transition requires the development of advanced and competitive catalytic technology, to increase the share of renewable energy in the production of fuels and chemicals.
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
Emiel Hensen received his master degree in chemical engineering and chemistry from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in 1994. In 2000 he obtained his PhD from the same university in the field of molecular heterogeneous catalysis under the supervision of professors Rutger van Santen and Rob van Veen. He then took up an assistant professor position with Prof. Berend Smit at University of Amsterdam. In 2001 he returned to TU/e as an assistant professor and in 2008 he was promoted to associate professor. From 2006-2008 he was a visiting research scientist at the Shell Research and Technology Center Amsterdam (The Netherlands). Since July 2009 Hensen is full professor of inorganic materials chemistry at TU/e. He was a visiting professor at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium) from 2001 until 2016 and a visiting professor at Hokkaido University (Japan) in 2016. Hensen was appointed dean of the TU/e department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry in 2016. He is member of the Dutch Advanced Research Center Chemical Building Blocks Consortium and chairman of the Netherlands Institute for Catalysis Research (NIOK).
Key Publications
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Interface dynamics of Pd–CeO2 single-atom catalysts during CO oxidation
Nature Catalysis (2021) -
Boosting CO2 hydrogenation via size-dependent metal-support interactions in cobalt-ceria-based catalysts
Nature Catalysis (2020) -
Engineering bunched Pt-Ni alloy nanocages for efficient oxygen reduction in practical fuel cells
Science (2019) -
Highly efficient and robust Au/MgCuCr2O4 catalyst for gas-phase oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde
Journal of the American Chemical Society (2013) -
Confined carbon mediating dehydroaromatization of methane over Mo/ZSM-5
Angewandte Chemie (2018)
Prizes & Grants
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2013Top Grant: Nanoparticles Caught in the Catalytic Act by In-situ Diffraction:Towards Understanding Structure SensitivityInorganic Materials & Catalysis
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2013NWO Vici Award Laureate Technologiestichting STW : Optimal nanoparticles for sustainable catalysisInorganic Materials & Catalysis
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2007Vidi Laureate: Bottom-up design van poreuze katalysatorenInorganic Materials & Catalysis
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2002Veni beurs: ‘Towards a new energy-efficient catalytic process for the production of lower olefins from paraffin feedstock’Inorganic Materials & Catalysis
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2006Casimir Laureate: Innovaties in hydrocracking processen voor het opwerken van zware aardoliefracties naar schone brandstoffenInorganic Materials & Catalysis
Current Educational Activities
Ancillary Activities
- Chairman, Nederlands Instituut voor Onderzoek in de Katalyse (NIOK)
- Scientific advisor, Vertoro