Chemistry Nobel awarded to three scientists for their work on metal organic frameworks
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M. Yaghi for their groundbreaking work on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a revolutionary class of materials with vast internal spaces that allow gases and other substances to flow through like rooms in a hotel.
Awarded Scientists and Their Contributions
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Susumu Kitagawa (Kyoto University, Japan), Richard Robson (University of Melbourne, Australia), and Omar M. Yaghi (University of California, Berkeley, USA) were honored for pioneering the design and synthesis of MOFs.
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Their innovations enable the creation of molecular structures featuring significant voids, providing extraordinary abilities to store gases, capture carbon dioxide, harvest water from desert air, and degrade environmental pollutants.
Importance and Applications of MOFs
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MOFs are highly porous materials with customizable inner structures, making them valuable for addressing global challenges such as:
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Extracting water from arid air
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Capturing and storing carbon dioxide to combat climate change
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Filtering out hazardous gases or industrial pollutants
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Catalyzing chemical reactions and even conducting electricity.
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Scientific Journey
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The concept was initiated by Richard Robson in the late 1980s; subsequent advances by Kitagawa made the MOFs more functional and stable, while Yaghi developed methods for rational design, stability, and custom modification of the frameworks.
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Today, chemists have created tens of thousands of unique MOFs, each tailored for specific scientific and industrial applications.
Prize Details
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The three laureates will share the prize sum of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately $1.17 million).
This recognition highlights the transformative impact of MOFs on chemistry and environmental technology, offering new tools for sustainability and innovation.
