Nobel Prize in Chemistry Goes to Material That Could Change the World

Metaverse Planet October 9, 2025Last Updated: October 9, 2025

2 minutes read

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), described by the Nobel Chemistry Committee as having “functions previously unimaginable,” were developed over the last 35 years through independent research. The most prestigious award in chemical science, the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, has been awarded for a discovery that has the potential to revolutionize many areas, from our daily lives to environmental challenges. Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar Yaghi have been honored for their pioneering and independent work on the “development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).”

The award, valued at 11 million Swedish kronor in total, once again underscores the significance of this class of materials, which opens up entirely new possibilities for the future of humanity.

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are sponge-like compounds that scientists define as a “completely new class of material with extraordinary properties.” This structure paves the way for exciting application possibilities in many fields, from purifying water and cleaning air to even storing the energy sources of the future.

As the Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, Heiner Linke, noted, “Metal-organic frameworks have enormous potential. They offer opportunities for new materials that are specifically designed with functions previously unimaginable.”

MOFs owe this interest to their unique inherent structures. These materials possess a huge internal surface area within a very small volume. These internal voids, much like a sponge, can be used to capture, store, or interact with molecules. Most importantly, because these structures can be specially designed to target specific molecules, they can be highly effective at filtering specific gases or pollutants.

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A Challenging 35-Year Development Process

The story of Metal-Organic Frameworks goes back more than 35 years to the work of Richard Robson in 1989. While working on a large crystal made of copper, Robson created a structure resembling a diamond cage containing countless voids. Although the potential of this structure was immediately recognized, structural instability was the biggest obstacle that couldn’t be overcome at the time.

Later, Susumu Kitagawa and Omar Yaghi entered the field, independently demonstrating that more stable forms of these crystals could be produced. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, all three scientists and their respective teams developed more advanced versions of MOFs suitable for practical applications. For example, Kitagawa took a critical step that paved the way for the materials to be used in real-world applications by showing that liquids could flow through these porous structures.

Endless Applications, from Environment to Energy

Despite being a relatively new field of research, Metal-Organic Frameworks are thought to have the potential to deliver immense benefits for humanity’s future. Experiments over the last decade have revealed the surprising capabilities of MOFs:

Clean Water and Air: They can harvest water from desert air, remove carbon dioxide from industrial smoke, and filter persistent chemicals like PFAS from water sources.
Energy Storage: Their capacity to safely and efficiently store liquid hydrogen makes them a significant candidate for future energy technologies.
Environmental Cleanup: They can break down oil spills and extract valuable materials such as rare earth elements from waste.

The development of MOFs certainly seems like a huge step forward for materials science. Which of these potential applications—air purification, water filtration, or hydrogen storage—do you find the most exciting?