Three scientists have won the 2025 Nobel Prize in chemistry 2025 for their development of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs).
Susumu Kitagawa at Kyoto University, Japan, Richard Robson from the University of Melbourne, Australia and Omar M. Yaghi from the University of California, Berkeley, US, have been awarded the prize for their developed a new form of molecular architecture.
In MOFs, metal ions act as cornerstones that are linked by long organic - carbon-based - molecules. The ions and molecules form crystals that contain large cavities. By varying the building blocks used in these porous materials, they can capture and store specific substances, as well as drive chemical reactions or conduct electricity.
Since the original discoveries, chemists have built tens of thousands of different MOFs, with uses including separating PFAS from water, capturing carbon dioxide or gathering water from desert air.
“Metal–organic frameworks have enormous potential, bringing previously unforeseen opportunities for custom-made materials with new functions,” said Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.
In 1989, Robson tested utilising the inherent properties of atoms in a new way. He combined positively charged copper ions with a four-armed molecule which bonded to form a well-ordered crystal. Although Robson recognised the potential of his molecular construction, but it was unstable and collapsed easily. 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.
More on metal–organic frameworks:
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- New catalyst holds promise for clean hydrogen production
- UC Berkeley researchers develop MOFs to green up ammonia production
- MOFs weed out glyphosate [Premium C&I content]
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