Nobel in Chemistry 2025: S. Kitagawa, R. Robson and O. Yaghi for development of metal-organic frameworks

Susumu Kitagawa, from Japan and Professor at Kyoto University (Japan), Richard Robson, from the UK and Professor at the University of Melbourne (Australia), and Omar M. Yaghi from Jordan and Professor at the University of California, Berkeley (USA) are awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for the development of metal-organic frameworks", announces Hans Ellegren, Secretary General of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, on 08/10/2025.

"The Nobel Prize Laureates in Chemistry 2025 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 MOF (metal-organic frameworks)", the academy explains.

"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." These constructions can also be used to harvest water from desert…