Nobel in Chemistry Awarded for Molecular Work - MOFs

 

In 2025, Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M. Yaghi were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their groundbreaking work in the development of metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs.

They are a class of porous, crystalline materials assembled from metal ions or clusters, which act as connecting nodes, and organic "linker" molecules. The resulting framework has large internal pores, or "rooms," that can be engineered for specific applications.

Key properties and applications of MOFs include:

    High porosity and large surface area: The intricate, repeating network structure of MOFs gives them an exceptionally high internal surface area. A single gram of a MOF can have an internal surface area that rivals a soccer field. This characteristic makes them ideal for gas storage, separation, and catalysis.

    Tunable structure: The structure of MOFs can be precisely designed by changing the size, shape, and chemical properties of the metal ions and organic linkers. This allows for the creation of countless new frameworks tailored for specific tasks.

    Gas capture and release: MOFs can be designed to capture gases like carbon dioxide from industrial emissions, methane for vehicle fuel, or hydrogen for energy storage.

    Water harvesting: Some MOFs can absorb water from the air, even in desert-like conditions, and release it for collection.

    Catalysis: The large surface area and tunable pores of MOFs make them effective heterogeneous catalysts for facilitating various chemical reactions.

    Electrical conductivity: By adjusting their components, MOFs can be created that conduct electricity.

   

 

“Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi earned the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing a new form of molecular architecture called metal-organic frameworks that can harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide, store toxic gases or catalyze chemical reactions.

 

The structures, metal ions connected by carbon-based linkers, have large holes that allow other molecules to flow in and out, almost like rooms in a house. They can capture and release gases, water or other substances. Changing the size or shape of its components can make countless new frameworks designed for specific substances, reactions or to conduct electricity.

 

"Imagine that the tools of chemistry could be used to create entirely new materials with unheard of properties," said Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry. "This year's laureates have achieved just that."

 

The laureates' groundbreaking discoveries have helped chemists build tens of thousands of different metal-organic frameworks. Applications include separating so-called forever chemicals from water, breaking down traces of pharmaceuticals in the environment, drug development or capturing carbon.

 

Kitagawa works at Japan's Kyoto University, Robson at the University of Melbourne and Yaghi at the University of California, Berkeley. The group will share the prize of 11 million Swedish kronor, equivalent to roughly $1.2 million.

 

The idea started with Robson in 1974, as he taught students turning wooden balls into models of atoms. The effort required drilling holes into the balls, to attach wooden rods meant to be chemical bonds. Because each atom formed bonds in a specific way, the holes' placement couldn't be random. If the holes were in the correct place, the wooden molecules automatically had the correct structure, he realized.

 

Then Robson thought: Could he use the same principles to link together different molecules, instead of singular atoms? Could he design new types of structures?

 

More than a decade passed before he tested the idea, using copper ions and organic compounds called nitriles to create well-ordered, spacious crystals. He reported the new structure in 1989.

 

"I just mix things up and get compounds," Robson, 88 years old, told Nobelprize.org. "And lots of them don't work, so you say 'hooray' when they do."

 

At the time of his research, Robson had suspected that the method could result in materials with fresh, potentially beneficial properties. He designed several more structures, but his new creations were unstable and collapsed easily.

 

From there, Kitagawa and Yaghi separately stepped in.

 

Kitagawa started to construct his own porous structures at Kindai University. But his creations were unstable and lacked a solid purpose. Many of his funding proposals were rejected. But in 1997, his team created a stable material that could absorb and release methane, nitrogen and oxygen.

 

Yaghi, meanwhile, was working at Arizona State University. In his work, he started combining metal ions with organic molecules. He managed to design structures so stable that they could withstand intense heat or hold enormous amounts of gas hidden inside their pores. Yaghi's research group has used the technology to harvest water from the desert in California.” [1]

 

1. U.S. News: Nobel in Chemistry Awarded for Molecular Work. Abbott, Brianna; Vipers, Gareth; Landers, Peter.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 09 Oct 2025: A3.