In a landmark achievement for materials science, Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar Yaghi have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their groundbreaking development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a revolutionary form of molecular architecture. These porous materials feature exceptionally large surface areas—comparable to a football field within a sugar cube-sized volume—enabling them to capture, store, and separate gases and chemicals with unprecedented efficiency. The laureates’ work has opened new pathways for addressing critical global issues, including climate change and water scarcity, by facilitating applications such as harvesting water from desert air, capturing carbon dioxide emissions, and safely storing toxic gases.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences emphasized that MOFs represent a transformative advancement in chemistry, offering „new opportunities for solving some of the challenges we face.” Professor Kitagawa, from Kyoto University, expressed his vision to utilize these materials for air separation and conversion into useful resources using renewable energy, highlighting the practical potential of their research. Alongside him, Professors Robson (University of Melbourne) and Yaghi (University of California, Berkeley) have collectively pioneered a field that merges creativity with utility, earning them a share of the 11 million Swedish crowns ($1.2 million) prize and global recognition.
This year’s chemistry award continues the tradition of honoring innovations with far-reaching implications, following recent Nobels in medicine and physics. As the third prize announced in the 2025 cycle, it underscores Alfred Nobel’s legacy of celebrating scientific breakthroughs that benefit humanity. The development of MOFs joins a prestigious list of chemistry laureates, including past winners recognized for discoveries like nuclear fission and DNA sequencing, reaffirming the discipline’s role in driving progress across environmental, medical, and technological frontiers.
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Forrás: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/trio-win-nobel-chemistry-prize-104321456.html.