Three chemists whose discoveries revolutionized materials science have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for pioneering the development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) – crystalline materials now central to carbon capture, water purification, and sustainable industrial chemistry.
The prize honors Richard Robson of the University of Melbourne, Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University, and Omar Yaghi of the University of California, Berkeley, whose collective research transformed MOFs from fragile lab curiosities into robust, versatile platforms for environmental innovation.
Robson first produced early MOF structures in the 1990s, experimenting with copper ions and organic linkers that assembled into diamond-like lattices riddled with microscopic cavities. These early frameworks hinted at extraordinary potential, but lacked the stability needed for practical use.
That breakthrough came with the work of Kitagawa and Yaghi. Kitagawa demonstrated that gases could reversibly move through MOFs without destroying their structure, while Yaghi’s rational design methods produced stable, customizable frameworks. Together, their discoveries turned MOFs into a cornerstone of modern chemistry.
Today, researchers have developed over 100,000 MOF variants, exploring their potential in carbon capture, hydrogen storage, catalysis, and pollution control.
Yaghi’s later work led to two related classes of materials: covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) – further expanding the toolkit for trapping CO2 and other gases.
Transforming Industry and the Environment
The impact of MOFs has moved rapidly from academia to industry. Companies such as BASF now employ MOF-based systems to capture hundreds of tonnes of CO2 annually from industrial flue gases.
“MOFs offer a route to industrial scale CO2 capture that is potentially better, cheaper and safer (the classic new tech deployment ‘what three words’ ambition) than existing solvent-based systems,” David Phillips, VP of Corporate Development at Svante, commented.
Relevant: Scientists Double Carbon Capture Ability Of MOFs
Meanwhile, Yaghi’s water-harvesting MOFs are proving that clean water can be drawn directly from desert air.
The Nobel Committee praised the trio for “creating materials that connect molecular design to global sustainability.” The laureates will receive their medals on 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.
Read more: Svante To Buy MOFs From BASF For Carbon Capture Market
