Dr. Dennis A. Hucul
Research Scientist

Dennis HuculAreas of Research Interest

  • Heterogeneous Catalysis – Noble metal catalysis, Selective hydrogenation, Partial oxidation, Carbonylation, Hydroxylation, Hydrochlorination, Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis, Tailored support synthesis
  • Catalyst Characterization – Chemisorption, Temperature programming techniques, Surface science
  • Altenative Energy – Fuel cells, Wind power, Solar power, Wave power, Geothermal Energy, BioEnergy

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Education

B.S., University of Michigan
Ph.D., Wayne State University

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Research Experience

  • Dow Chemical - Research Scientist, Research Leader, Group Leader, Associate Scientist 1979-2004
  • Consultant for the Chemical industry - Alternative Fuels, Fuel Cells, Biodiesel, Catalyst synthesis, 2005 -2009

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Patents

    1. Process for hydrogenating unsaturated polymers with a promoted catalyst;  D. Hucul, U.S. Patent 6,399,538; Jun 04, 2002
    2. Process for hydrogenating unsaturated polymers;  Edmund M. Calverly; Avani Patel; Dennis A. Hucul; Jonathan H. Siddall. U.S. Patent 6,395,841; May 28, 2002
    3. Process for hydrogenating aromatic polymers;  D. Hucul; U.S. Patent 6,376,622; April 23, 2002
    4. Process for making 2,3 dihalopropanols;  P. Vosejpka, D. Hucul,  R. Maughon, L. Ito; US patent 6350922; Feb 26 2002
    5. Process for preparing  carboxylic acids;  J. Ringer, D. Molzahn, D. Hucul; US patent 6229045; 8 May 2001
    6. Process for Hydrogenating Aromatic Polymers;  Hucul, Dennis & Hahn, Steve; U.S. Patent 6,172,165; Jan 09, 2001
    7. Silica supports used in A process for hydrogenating aromatic polymers; D. Hucul; US patent 6090359; July 18 2000
    8. New Polymers made via Aromatic Hydrogenation Hucul, Dennis & Hahn, Steve; US 5700878; 23 Dec 1997
    9. Catalysts for Hydrogenating Aromatic Polymers Hucul, Dennis & Hahn, Steve; US 5654253; 5 Aug 1997
    10. A Process for Hydrogenating Aromatic Polymers Hucul, Dennis & Hahn, Steve; US 5612422; 18 Mar 1997
    11. Method to Prepare Ortho Substituted Phenol Burdett, K. , Hucul, D. , Lee, G; US 5583268; 10 Dec 1996
    12. Process for the Production of Styrene Hucul, Dennis; US 5336822 A; 9 Aug 1994
    13. Hydrogenation process for high molecular weight polymers Hucul, Dennis A.; US 5110779  A; 5 May 1992
    14. Polymer hydrogenation catalysts Hucul, Dennis A.; US 5028665  A; 2 Jul 1991
    15. Preparation of polyhydrocarbylaluminoxanes  Schmidt, Gregory F.; Campbell, Richard E. Jr; Hucul, Dennis A.; US 5015749  A;  14 May 1991 (also Canada 1,304,746)
    16. Redispersal of ruthenium, osmium, rhodium, and palladium catalysts and processes therewith; Hucul, Dennis A.; US 4891346  A; 2 Jan 1990
    17. Syngas conversion to oxygenates by reduced yttrium, lanthanide, actinide-modified catalyst; Hucul, Dennis A.; Stevens, Rex R.; US 4762858  A; 9 Aug 1988
    18. Preparation of acrylate esters; Hucul, Dennis A.; Eickholt, Kathryn A.; US 4743705  A; 10 May 1988
    19. High surface area supported noble metal catalysts and process for their preparation; Hucul, Dennis A.; US 4713363  A; 15 Dec 1987
    20. Catalysts on alkoxide-modified supports,  Wood, Clayton D.; Hucul, Dennis A.; Edwards, David Scott; Read, Arthur Edwin, Jr.; Kohatsu, Iwao; Garrou, Philip Ernest; Jung, Chu W.; Gleason, Edward F.; III EP 225953  A1; 24 June 1987 
    21. Preparation of 2-Halo-1-alkenes from hydrocrabon streams. Klun, R.T.; Murchison, C.B.; Hucul, D.A.; US 4554391  A; 19 Nov 1985
    22. 2-Halo-1-alkenes and acrylate esters from hydrocarbon streams Klun, Robert T.; Murchison, Craig B.; Hucul, Dennis A.; US 4480121  A; 30 Oct 1984

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Theses and Dissertations

  • Hydrothermal Synthesis of High Valence State Praseodymium Oxides, University of Michigan, 1972
  • Supported transition metal carbonyls as a new class of heterogeneous catalysts,  PhD Thesis, Wayne State University, 1979

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Awards

  • Giuseppe Parravano Award for “Excellence in Catalysis Research and Development” , 2004
  • National ACS award for Cooperative Research, 2008

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Scientific and Professional Societies

  • Michigan Catalysis Society
    President (1992 - 1993)
    Vice President (1991 - 1992)
  • National Catalysis Society
  • Sigma Xi
  • Phi Lambda Upsilon
    President (1979 - 1980)

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Publications

Books, Textbooks and Monographs

    1. Proton-conducting polyhedral oligosilsesquioxane nanoadditives for sulfonated polyphenylsulfone hydrogen fuel cell proton exchange  membranes. Claire Hartmann-Thompson, Adrian Merrington , Peter Carver, Dennis Hucul et al  J. Applied Polymer Science, 110, 958-974, 2008
    2. In-Situ TEM Study of Sintering in Pd/Al2O3 Catalysts.  R.-J. Liu, P. A.  Crozier, C. M. Smith, D. A. Hucul, J. Blackson and G. Salaita Microscopy and Microanalysis, Volume 10, Supplement S02, Aug 2004,  pp 488-489
    3. In Situ Electron Microscopy Studies of the Sintering of Palladium  Nanoparticles on Alumina during Catalyst Regeneration Processes Rou-Jane  Liu, Peter A.  Crozier, C. Michael  Smith,
      Dennis A.  Hucul, John  Blackson; Microscopy and Microanalysis (10), 77-85, 2004
    4. In situ TEM studies of sintering of Pd/alumina catalysts. Rou-Jane  Liu, Peter A.  Crozier, C. Michael  Smith, Dennis A.  Hucul,  John  Blackson; Microscopy and Microanalysis (9),
      1024-1025, 2003
    5. Molecular Weight Effects in the Hydrogenation of Polystyrenes Using  Platinum Supported on Wide Pore Silica.  Eric Ness, Frank Bates,  Dennis Hucul, Steve Hahn,  Mark Hillmyer  
      Macromolecules (35), 602-609, 2002
    6. Extending the Lifetime of a Hydrogenation Catalyst By Removal of  Lithium Alkoxide from Styrene-Butadiene Block Copolymers Using  Filtration. John W. Hull, Jr. , Kenneth R. Coppens, Dennis A. Hucul, Michael J. Zoellner, Macromolecules (34), 8394-8396, 2001
    7. Adsorption of Methyl Radicals on TiO2 (110) Studied with XPS: A Surface Defect Study, Charlie Parkinson, Lee Liu, Simon Bare, Dennis Hucul, Peter Stair
    8. PCHE-Based Pentablock Copolymers: Evolution of a New Plastic Frank Bates, Glen Fredrickson, Dennis Hucul, and Steve Hahn AIChE Journal, Vol. 47, No. 4, 762-765, 2001
    9. Thermal and Viscoelastic Behavior of Hydrogenated Polystyrene Jin Zhao, Steve Hahn, Dennis Hucul, Macromolecules (34), 1737-1741, 2001
    10. Catalytic Hydrogenation of Polystyrene Dennis A. Hucul and Stephen F. Hahn ; Advanced Materials, 12(23), 1855-1858, 2000
    11. Modeling and Experimental Study of Oxygen Absorption onto Cu Catalysts,  Stowe, Robert; Hucul, Dennis; Helling, Richard International Bicentenial Conference for the Process Industries
      Proceedings, 624-628, Sydney Australia, August 1988
    12. Catalysts of chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten carbonyls    supported on dehydroxylated alumina which are ultraactive for the hydrogenation of ethylene  Hucul, Dennis A.; Brenner,
      Alan J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., (15), 830-1, 1982
    13. Reactivity of catalysts derived from organometallics directly deposited on supports, Thomas, T. J.; Hucul, Dennis A.; Brenner, Alan,  ACS Symp. Ser., 192(Chem. Modif. Surf. Catal.
      Electrocatal.), 267-279,1982
    14. A strong metal-support interaction between mononuclear and polynuclear transition metal complexes and oxide supports which dramatically affects catalytic activity,  Hucul, Dennis A.;
      Brenner, Alan,  J. Phys. Chem., 85(5), 496-8, 1981
    15. High methane formation during the temperature-programmed  decomposition in flowing hydrogen of supported mononuclear and polynuclear carbonyl complexes,  Hucul, Dennis A.;
      Brenner, Alan J. Am. Chem. Soc., 103(1), 217-19,1981
    16. Supported transition metal carbonyls as a new class of heterogeneous Catalysts,  Hucul, Dennis A. From: Diss. Abstr. Int. B 1980, 41(4), 1362-3, 1980
    17. The synthesis, characterization, and catalytic activity of supported, low-valent molybdenum, Brenner, Alan; Hucul, Dennis A. Chem. Uses Molybdenum, Proc. Int. Conf., 3rd, 194-8.  Edited by: Barry, H. F.; Mitchell, P. C. H.  Climax Molybdenum Co.: Ann Arbor, Mich., 1979
    18. Clusters and catalysis:  on the requirement for multinuclear centers to catalyze the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide Brenner, Alan; Hucul, Dennis A. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 102(7), 2484-7, 1980
    19. The synthesis and nature of heterogeneous catalysts of low-valent tungsten supported on alumina,  Brenner, Alan; Hucul, Dennis A.,  J. Catal., 61(1), 216-22, 1980
    20. Catalysts of supported iron derived from molecular complexes containing one, two, and three iron atoms Brenner, Alan; Hucul, Dennis A.,  Inorg. Chem., 18(10), 2836-40, 1979
    21. The remarkable decarbonylation of chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten hexacarbonyls supported on silica and the nature of these materials as heterogeneous catalysts,  Brenner, Alan; Hucul, Dennis A.; Hardwick, Steven J.,  Inorg. Chem., 18(6), 1478-84, 1979
    22. Experimental errors in the application of temperature-programmed desorption to practical catalysts,  Brenner, Alan; Hucul, Dennis A.,  J. Catal., 56(1), 134-8, 1979

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