The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has announced that the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025 has been awarded to Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University, Japan, Richard Robson of the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Omar M. Yaghi of the University of California, Berkeley, USA, “for the development of metal-organic frameworks,” the Academy said in a press release.
The Academy highlighted that the laureates “have created molecular constructions with large spaces through which gases and other chemicals can flow.” These constructions, known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), are versatile materials that can be used in a wide range of applications, including harvesting water from desert air, capturing carbon dioxide, storing toxic gases, and catalysing chemical reactions.
The press release explains that in these innovative molecular architectures, “metal ions function as cornerstones that are linked by long organic (carbon-based) molecules. Together, the metal ions and molecules are organised to form crystals that contain large cavities.” These porous materials, as the Academy describes, can be tailored by chemists to capture and store specific substances. MOFs can also be designed to drive chemical reactions or conduct electricity.
Commenting on the impact of the work, Heiner Linke, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, said: “Metal-organic frameworks have enormous potential, bringing previously unforeseen opportunities for custom-made materials with new functions.”
The journey to these groundbreaking discoveries began in 1989, when Richard Robson explored a novel approach to utilising the inherent properties of atoms. Robson “combined positively charged copper ions with a four-armed molecule; this had a chemical group that was attracted to copper ions at the end of each arm. When they were combined, they bonded to form a well-ordered, spacious crystal. It was like a diamond filled with innumerable cavities.”
While Robson recognised the potential of his molecular construction, it was initially unstable and prone to collapse. It was Susumu Kitagawa and Omar Yaghi who provided the construction method with a firm foundation. According to the Nobel Committee, between 1992 and 2003, Kitagawa and Yaghi made “a series of revolutionary discoveries.” Kitagawa demonstrated that gases can flow in and out of the constructions and predicted that MOFs could be made flexible. Meanwhile, Yaghi developed a very stable MOF and showed that it can be modified using rational design, “giving it new and desirable properties.”
Following the laureates’ pioneering work, chemists around the world have developed tens of thousands of different MOFs. The Nobel Committee noted that “some of these may contribute to solving some of humankind’s greatest challenges, with applications that include separating PFAS from water, breaking down traces of pharmaceuticals in the environment, capturing carbon dioxide or harvesting water from desert air.”
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ announcement underscores the transformative potential of MOFs in both scientific research and practical applications. As chemists continue to explore these porous materials, the Nobel laureates’ innovations are likely to influence fields ranging from environmental protection to energy storage and beyond.
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