Stockholm – Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M. Yaghi have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their transformative work on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), hailed for their immense potential in tackling pressing global issues such as climate change and pollution. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences conferred the prestigious honor on Wednesday.
Comparing their discovery to Hermione Granger’s seemingly bottomless enchanted handbag in Harry Potter, committee member Olof Ramström highlighted MOFs’ remarkable capacity: externally compact yet internally vast, enabling absorption and containment of significant gas quantities. Applications span carbon dioxide capture, water harvesting from desert air, toxic gas storage, and chemical reaction catalysis.
Working independently across continents, the trio built complementary breakthroughs starting with Robson’s 1989 contributions. “Their discoveries open unforeseen opportunities for materials with tailored new functions,” stated Heiner Linke, Nobel Committee for Chemistry chair. Potential uses include separating harmful PFAS (“forever chemicals”) from water and degrading environmental pharmaceutical residues.
Kitagawa (74), Kyoto University, Japan; Robson (88), University of Melbourne, Australia; and Yaghi (60), University of California, Berkeley, expressed honor at recognition. “I’m deeply honored and delighted,” Kitagawa said by phone. Robson admitted being “very pleased and a bit stunned,” reflecting on late-life accolade magnitude.
Their work joins recent scientific milestones; 2024’s prize honored protein decoding via AI. Earlier 2025 announcements awarded medicine (Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, Shimon Sakaguchi) and physics (John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, John M. Martinis) prizes. Literature (Thursday), peace (Friday), and economics (next Monday) awards follow.
Founded by dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel, the prizes commemorate his 1896 death anniversary with December 10 ceremony. Carrying 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million), the award underscores MOFs’ promise in scientific innovation addressing humanity’s grand challenges. Hans Ellegren, academy secretary-general, announced the chemistry laureates in Stockholm, spotlighting their groundbreaking molecular architecture.
