 Gerhard Ertl in 1974 described for the first time the adsorption of hydrogen on a palladium surface using a novel technique called LEED.Similar studies with platinum, nickel, and iron  followed.Most recent developments in surface sciences include the 2007 Nobel prize of Chemistry winner Gerhard Ertl's advancements in surface chemistry, specifically
his investigation of the interaction between carbon monoxide molecules and platinum surfaces.