The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025, for the third straight day, has been awarded to three laureates in Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi, for the development of metal-organic frameworks.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, said the three scholars have created molecular constructions with large spaces through which gases and other chemicals can flow. These constructions, metal-organic frameworks, can be used to harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide, store toxic gases or catalyse chemical reactions.
According to a statement, they have developed a new form of molecular architecture. In their constructions, 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 are called metal-organic frameworks (MOF). By varying the building blocks used in the MOFs, chemists can design them to capture and store specific substances. MOFs can also drive chemical reactions or conduct electricity,” the Nobel committee statement said on Wednesday.
“Metal-organic frameworks have enormous potential, bringing previously unforeseen opportunities for custom-made materials with new functions,” said Mr Heiner Linke, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.
The science all started in 1989, when Richard Robson tested utilising the inherent properties of atoms in a new way, by combining 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.
The scientist immediately recognised the potential of his molecular construction, but it was unstable and collapsed easily.
However, Susumu Kitagawa and Omar Yaghi provided this building method with a firm foundation; between 1992 and 2003 they made, separately, a series of revolutionary discoveries. Kitagawa showed that gases can flow in and out of the constructions and predicted that MOFs could be made flexible. Yaghi created a very stable MOF and showed that it can be modified using rational design, giving it new and desirable properties.
Following the laureates’ groundbreaking discoveries, chemists have built tens of thousands of different MOFs. 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 next prize announced on Thursday will be in literature, followed by peace on Friday, and economics, next week Monday.