The Prize in Chemistry celebrates the discovery of metal-organic frameworks that trap and release molecules like tiny sponges. This breakthrough offers new hope for clean energy
The suspense in the scientific world has finally ended as the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025 is awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M Yaghi for their pioneering work on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). This long-awaited recognition honours a breakthrough that has redefined materials science. MOFs are crystalline materials made of metals and organic molecules forming vast, porous structures like molecular sponges. Their ability to trap, store, or release molecules such as carbon dioxide, water, or hydrogen gives them vast potential to address global challenges in clean energy, pollution control, and sustainability.
To understand MOFs in simple terms, think of them like a finely woven bamboo trap used to catch fish or a hand woven bamboo sieve. In these, thin bamboo strips are arranged carefully to leave tiny gaps small enough to trap some things while letting others pass through. Similarly, in a metal–organic framework, metal ions act like the knots or joints of the bamboo, while organic molecules are like the strips that connect them, forming a strong yet porous structure. The empty spaces inside these frameworks work like the gaps in the bamboo weave. They can hold, trap, or release different kinds of molecules such as water, carbon dioxide, or hydrogen. What makes MOFs special is that chemists can design these pores as they wish deciding their size, shape, and what kinds of molecules they can catch or let go, just like making a bamboo trap suited for a particular sizes of fish.
The story of MOFs began with a simple classroom commitment of a teacher. In 1974, Richard Robson, a young chemist at the University of Melbourne, was preparing a lesson on molecular models using wooden balls and sticks. As he drilled holes in the balls to represent atoms and bonds, he realised that the positions of these holes contained a kind of built-in information each atom had specific bonding directions, and this geometry could determine the entire structure of a molecule. This led Robson to wonder if he could design new materials by using the inherent bonding preferences of metal ions and larger organic molecules. In the late 1980s, he succeeded. When he combined copper ions with a four-armed organic molecule, the components self-assembled into a crystalline porous structure. It was the first of its kind of material with regular and ordered arrangement of atom yet filled with hollow cavities. Although initial MOFs were not very stable, Robson had, unknowingly, laid the foundation for the field of MOFs.
In the following decade, Susumu Kitagawa, working in Japan, brought a new level of insight and persistence to this field. Guided by his belief in finding usefulness in useless things, he continued to explore these seemingly fragile materials even when few others saw their value. In 1997, Kitagawa created three-dimensional MOFs made from cobalt, nickel, or zinc linked with organic molecules. This material had open channels that could hold gases such as methane, nitrogen, and oxygen. Crucially, the framework remained stable even after the gases were released something that had not been achieved before. Kitagawa later recognised that MOFs could be flexible, able to expand and contract like lungs breathing in and out. This property distinguished them from earlier porous materials like zeolites, which were rigid and brittle. His vision of flexible, adaptable molecular structure made MOFs unique and hinted at their vast potential application.
At nearly the same time, in the United States, Omar Yaghi was independently pioneering his own approach to controlled molecular construction. Having grown up in modest circumstances in Jordan and inspired by his early fascination with chemical diagrams, Yaghi pursued the dream of designing materials. In the mid-1990s, his team began linking metal ions with organic molecules to form two-dimensional nets and later, fully three-dimensional structures. It was Yaghi who coined the term ‘metal–organic framework’, introducing it in a 1995 paper. His most famous creation came a few years later known as MOF-5 made from Zn, which is an exceptionally stable and porous framework that could be heated to 300 °C without collapsing. Just a few grams of MOF-5 contain an internal surface area roughly equal to that of a football field a remarkable property that allows the material to hold enormous quantities of gas.
Since their discovery, MOFs have grown from laboratory curiosities into powerful tools for solving real world problems. These materials are now used in areas like environmental cleanup, clean energy storage, and even medicine. For example, some MOFs can pull water vapour from desert air at night and release it when warmed by sunlight, offering a new source of drinking water. Others can capture carbon dioxide from factory emissions, trap or break down toxic gases, and even remove harmful chemicals from polluted water. Certain MOFs can also store hydrogen for clean fuel or even deliver medicines precisely to where they are needed in the body. Whether used for cleaning air and water, storing energy, or developing new medicines, today MOFs represent one of chemistry’s most creative and promising families of materials.
Many Goan scientists, both at Goa University and in research institutes across India and abroad, who have long been exploring the fascinating world of MOFs, have expressed their happiness and pride at this long-awaited Nobel recognition. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025 celebrates not only the discovery of these remarkable structures but also the enduring spirit of innovation that continues to shape the future of science.
(Dr Mithil S Fal Desai is the Assistant Professor in Chemistry (Contract) of Shree Mallikarjun and Shri Chetan Manju Desai College, Canacona)
