Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025: Scientists unlock molecular frameworks with rooms for chemistry

Kitagawa, Robson and Yaghi honoured for creating metal–organic frameworks with wide-ranging applications

This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Susumu Kitagawa (Kyoto University, Japan), Richard Robson (University of Melbourne, Australia) and Omar M. Yaghi (University of California, Berkeley, USA) for the development of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) - crystalline materials with vast internal spaces that can capture, store, or transform molecules.

MOFs are built from metal ions linked by carbon-based molecules, forming structures with enormous surface areas and tunable pores. Their modular design has opened new frontiers in materials chemistry, enabling applications ranging from carbon capture and gas storage to water harvesting, catalysis, and environmental remediation.

The story of MOFs began in the late 1980s, when Richard Robson explored combining copper ions with organic linkers to form lattice-like crystals. Though his early designs were unstable, Susumu Kitagawa and Omar Yaghi later refined the concept. Between 1992 and 2003, they independently demonstrated how gases could move through these porous materials and how their frameworks could be engineered for strength, flexibility, and functionality.

Today, chemists have created tens of thousands of MOFs, tailoring them to specific tasks such as removing PFAS from water, breaking down pharmaceutical residues, and storing hydrogen. The laureates’ pioneering work has provided a foundation for sustainable technologies addressing global challenges.

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 three scientists share a prize of 11 million Swedish kronor.

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