The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in chemistry to Dr. Susumu Kitagawa, Dr. Richard Robson and Dr. Omar Yaghi for their work in the development of a new type of molecular architecture known as metal organic frameworks (MOFs). The three scientists are affiliated to the universities of Kyoto in Japan, Melbourne in Australia and Berkeley in the US, respectively.
The trio have created "molecular constructions with large spaces through which gases and other chemicals can flow", read a statement from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. These porous crystals can be used to harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide, store toxic gases or break down traces of pharmaceuticals in the environment.
"MOFs have enormous potential, bringing previously unforeseen opportunities for custom-made materials with new functions," said Mr. Heiner Linke, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.
The innovation behind MOFs lies in the way metal ions act as cornerstones, linked together by long, carbon-based molecules. Together, these components form organised crystals containing large cavities. By carefully choosing different building blocks, chemists can design MOFs to capture specific substances, drive chemical reactions, or even conduct electricity.
According to Mr. Olof Ramstrom, a member of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, the new form of molecular architecture can be compared with the handbag of the fictional Harry Potter character Hermione Granger: small on the outside but very large on the inside.
The chemists, working separately but adding to each other's breakthroughs, devised ways to make stable MOFs. The story of MOFs began in 1989 when Dr. Robson explored a novel use of atoms' inherent properties. He combined positively charged copper ions with a four-armed molecule, each arm ending in a chemical group attracted to copper. The result was a well-ordered, spacious crystal - akin to a diamond riddled with countless cavities. Dr. Robson quickly recognised the potential of this structure, but the early designs were unstable and prone to collapse.
Between 1992 and 2003, Dr. Kitagawa and Dr. Yaghi built on Robson's work, providing the molecular architecture with a lasting foundation. Dr. Kitagawa demonstrated that gases could flow in and out of the structures and predicted their flexibility. Dr. Yaghi, meanwhile, created highly stable MOFs and showed that these frameworks could be rationally modified to gain new, useful properties. Since their pioneering work, chemists around the world have created tens of thousands of MOFs, unlocking applications that could address some of humanity's most pressing challenges. The laureates' discoveries have opened a new frontier in chemistry, turning MOFs into versatile tools for innovation across industries and research fields.
The award ceremony will be held on December 10, the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, who founded the prizes. A Swedish inventor and industrialist best known for creating dynamite, Nobel established the prizes in his 1895 will, leaving much of his fortune to honour those whose work "confers the greatest benefit to humankind.