Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025 was awarded for the development of metal-organic frameworks: they are credited with the potential of 21st-century materials

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025 to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M. Yaghi "for the development of metal-organic frameworks," the Nobel Committee announced on October 8, according to UNN.

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"Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M. Yaghi were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025 for the development of a new type of molecular architecture," the statement reads.

The 2025 Chemistry laureates, as stated, have created new spaces for chemistry.

The structures they created – metal-organic frameworks – contain large cavities into which molecules can enter and exit. Researchers have used them to collect water from desert air, remove pollutants from water, capture carbon dioxide, and store hydrogen.

Following the laureates' groundbreaking discoveries, researchers have created many different functional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). So far, in most cases, these materials have only been used on a small scale. To leverage the benefits of MOF materials for the good of humanity, many companies are investing in their mass production and commercialization. Some have succeeded. For example, the electronics industry can now use MOF materials to contain some toxic gases necessary for semiconductor manufacturing. Another MOF can, conversely, decompose harmful gases, including those that could be used as chemical weapons. Many companies are also testing materials capable of capturing carbon dioxide at factories and power plants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Some researchers believe that metal-organic frameworks have such enormous potential that they will become the materials of the 21st century.

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