Chemistry

Three Scientists Win 2025 Nobel Prize for MOF Chemistry

Published OCT 8 2025

Story

Above: (L-R) The portraits of Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M Yaghi. Image credit: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images

The Facts

Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University, Richard Robson of the University of Melbourne, and Omar Yaghi of UC Berkeley were awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for developing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The trio will share the prize of 11 million Swedish kronor.
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Nature
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The MOFs feature molecular constructions with large internal cavities that can absorb and store gases. Applications include capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and harvesting water from desert air in arid environments.
The New York Times
ABC News
Newsmax
Richard Robson first developed the MOF concept in 1989 by combining positively charged copper ions with four-armed molecules, creating diamond-like crystals with large cavities. However, these initial structures were unstable and prone to collapse.
Al Jazeera
Chemistry World
The Wall Street Journal
Between 1992 and 2003, Kitagawa and Yaghi separately made breakthrough discoveries that stabilized the frameworks. Kitagawa demonstrated that gases could flow in and out, while Yaghi created highly stable MOFs that could be modified through rational design.
Downtoearth
Berkeley News
Science
These frameworks have large internal surface areas — just a few grams can match the surface area of a football field — making them highly effective for applications such as removing PFAS chemicals from water and breaking down pharmaceutical residues in the environment.
Oxford Mail
New Scientist
C&EN
Following the laureates' discoveries, researchers have created tens of thousands of different MOFs with various applications, and multiple companies have invested in mass production and commercialization of these materials for industrial use.
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The Spin

Narrative A

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry exemplifies how scientific innovation addresses humanity's most pressing challenges by utilizing metal-organic frameworks. These revolutionary materials harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide emissions and store clean hydrogen fuel. MOF technology is the material of the twenty-first century, offering unprecedented solutions for environmental protection, sustainable energy storage and water scarcity.

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Narrative B

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry often overlooks stellar scientists whose work lacks a singular "Aha!" moment, favoring high-profile applications and sidelining crucial foundational research in molecular dynamics. This narrow focus means the prize fails to reflect the collaborative and multidisciplinary nature of modern science, creating an incomplete historical record that undervalues diverse, incremental contributions and skews recognition in the field.