The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M. Yaghi for their pioneering development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a new class of molecular structures with remarkable versatility. These frameworks are composed of metals connected by organic linkers, creating spacious, porous architectures in which molecules can move freely.
MOFs have proven extraordinarily useful in a wide range of applications. Some can extract water from air in arid regions, remove pollutants from water, capture carbon dioxide, or store hydrogen. Others are designed to release pharmaceuticals in a controlled manner, trap harmful gases, slow the ripening of fruit by capturing ethylene, or encapsulate enzymes that break down antibiotic residues in the environment. In essence, MOFs function as highly adaptable molecular “spaces” tailored for specific tasks, opening up entirely new possibilities in chemistry and materials science.
The laureates’ work laid the foundation for the design and synthesis of tens of thousands of MOFs worldwide, enabling chemists to explore countless innovative applications. Their breakthroughs have transformed the field and demonstrated how fundamental chemical research can have practical, global impact.
About the Laureates
- Susumu Kitagawa – Born in Kyoto, Japan, in 1951, Kitagawa earned his PhD from Kyoto University in 1979 and is currently a professor at the same institution.
- Richard Robson – Born in 1937 in Glusburn, UK, Robson received his PhD from the University of Oxford in 1962 and serves as a professor at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
- Omar M. Yaghi – Born in 1965 in Amman, Jordan, Yaghi completed his PhD at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1990 and is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, USA.
By creating the first MOFs and showcasing their potential, Kitagawa, Robson, and Yaghi have enabled chemists to craft structures with applications ranging from environmental remediation to energy storage and medicine.
Learn more about their groundbreaking work on metal-organic frameworks on the Nobel Prize website.
