De Chen (陈德)
Professor, School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology
Email: chende@ecust.edu.cn
Biography
Chen De is an internationally renowned catalysis expert. He serves in leadership roles at the Norwegian National Innovation Center for Industrial Catalysis and the Norwegian National Center for Environmentally Friendly Energy Research. He has also advised the European Kinetics Consortium for two decades, maintaining long-term industrial collaborations across Europe and Norway. His research focuses on green chemical engineering and low-carbon technologies, with a specialization in complex reaction kinetics. He pioneered the redox catalytic cycle kinetics method for oxidation catalyst design and the mesoscale kinetics approach for multi-scale catalyst design. He also developed key in-situ characterization tools like the TEOM and SSITKA for studying catalysts under real conditions. His work has directly advanced industrial processes such as ethylene oxychlorination, methanol-to-olefins, and CO2 capture, leading to successful industrial applications.
In recognition of his contributions, he was elected to the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences (2009), the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters (2019), and the Academia Europaea (2024). In recent years, he has led over 20 major research projects and published more than 480 SCI papers in top journals including J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., and Nat. Commun., with over 27,500 citations. He has also delivered more than 400 invited and plenary talks at international conferences.
Education
1978 ~ 1982
Petrochemical Engineering and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Chemical Technology (now East China University of Science and Technology), for B.E.
1985 ~ 1988
Chemical Reaction Engineering, East China Institute of Chemical Technology (now East China University of Science and Technology), for MS
1994 ~ 1998
Applied Catalysis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), for PhD
Work Experience
1983 ~ 1985
Teaching assistant, Shanghai Petrochemical College (now East China University of Science and Technology)
1988 ~ 1994
Assistant professor, Shanghai Petrochemical College (now East China University of Science and Technology)
1998 ~ 2025
Associate Professor, Professor，Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
2009 ~ 2010
Visiting Professor, University of California, Berkeley
2021 ~ 2025
Director, Waste Chemical Recycling Innovation Center，Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
2025 ~ present
Professor, East China University of Science and Technology, Chair Scholar under the Ministry of Education’s Chang Jiang Scholars Program
Research Interests
His research contributions encompass innovations in reaction kinetic theory, in-situ characterization, and green engineering, driving advancements in both fundamental science and industrial applications. A pioneering oxidation-reduction catalytic cycle kinetics method was developed to address challenges in industrial oxidation processes, which has generated great economic benefits for ethylene oxychlorination. Additionally, a mesoscale kinetics method was established to quantitatively bridge catalyst microstructure with macroscopic performance, successfully guiding industrial catalyst optimization for applications such as hydrotreating and denitrification. In the field of characterization, the early application of the tapered element oscillating microbalance to catalyst coking studies enabled the development of high-performance methanol-to-olefins catalysts. Furthermore, a self-developed in-situ spectroscopy combined with steady-state isotopic transient kinetic analysis system supports ongoing catalyst optimization with international partners. For green engineering, a core-shell structured nano-adsorbent was developed to reduce carbon capture energy consumption and costs in pilot-scale testing, while a novel one-step catalytic process for methyl methacrylate synthesis is currently being advanced toward industrial-scale production.
Selected Awards
2007: Exxon Award of Best Fundamental Research
2009: Member of the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences
2009-2020: Invited Member for the Nomination of Nobel Prize of Chemistry
2019: Member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters
2024: Member of Academia Europaea
Selected Publications
1. Quantification and optimization of platinum–molybdenum carbide interfacial sites to enhance low-temperature water-gas shift reaction. Nat. Commun. 2025, 16(1), 1098.
2. Catalytic oxidation upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate to commodity carboxylic acids. Nat. Commun. 2024, 15(1), 10732.
3. Curved plane increases the d vacancy population of Pd for green production of cyclohexanone. Chem 2024, 10(8), 2418.
4. Engineering non-noble Ni/WOx-ZrO2 towards boosted fuels production by catalytic upcycling of polyethylene at mild conditions. J. Catal. 2024, 430, 115302.
5. Toward fully selective ethylene oxychlorination through engineering the Cu oxidation state spatial profile. ACS Catal. 2023, 13(22), 15107.
6. In situ monitoring of dynamic behavior of La-doped CuCl2/γ-Al2O3 catalyst in ethylene oxychlorination. J. Catal. 2023, 417, 314.
7. Facet-induced strong metal Chloride−Support interaction over CuCl2/γ-Al2O3 catalyst to enhance ethylene oxychlorination performance. ACS Catal. 2022, 12(13), 8027.
8. PO43− coordinated robust single‐atom platinum catalyst for selective polyol oxidation. Angew. Chem. 2022, 134(21), e202116059.
9. Molecular-level insights into the electronic effects in platinum-catalyzed carbon monoxide oxidation. Nat. Commun. 2021, 12(1), 6888.
10. C–H bond activation in light alkanes: a theoretical perspective. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2021, 50(7), 4299.
Contacts
For inquiries related to research collaborations, student supervision, or other academic interests, please reach out using the contact details provided above.