2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Honors Pioneers of Metal-Organic Frameworks

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced in October 2025 that the Nobel Prize in Chemistry would be awarded jointly to Omar Yaghi, Susumu Kitagawa, and Roderic Park. This prestigious award recognizes their groundbreaking contributions to the creation and synthesis of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), a field that Omar Yaghi famously termed "reticular chemistry." The prize money, totaling 11 million Swedish Kronor, will be distributed equally among the three recipients.

MOFs are remarkable hybrid materials, constructed from metal ions or clusters linked by organic molecules into highly ordered, repeating three-dimensional crystalline lattices. These structures boast unprecedented levels of porosity, featuring vast internal cavities capable of facilitating the passage of gases and various chemical substances. The innovations spearheaded by these laureates address several critical global challenges, spanning environmental sustainability and energy solutions.

The foundational groundwork for this revolutionary area was laid by Roderic Park in 1989. Taking inspiration from the structure of the diamond lattice, Park successfully employed positively charged copper ions to construct the first predictable three-dimensional framework exhibiting extensive internal voids. While Park’s initial designs faced hurdles regarding structural stability, they nevertheless served as the essential springboard for subsequent advancements in the field.

Significant strides toward achieving stability in these frameworks were made by Omar Yaghi and Susumu Kitagawa. Working at the University of Arizona and the University of California, Berkeley, Omar Yaghi synthesized a framework in 1995 that became the blueprint for creating robust, stable MOFs. His research group successfully engineered a material boasting an astonishing specific surface area, reaching approximately 4,000 square meters per gram.

Following closely, in 1997, Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University demonstrated the principle of selective gas adsorption using a cobalt-based framework. This material exhibited the capacity to absorb gases such as CO₂, nitrogen, and oxygen. Furthermore, Kitagawa introduced the concept of "flexible" frameworks, materials that dynamically alter their internal structure upon interaction with specific molecules, adding another layer of functional complexity to MOF design.

The impact of this research is now evident in the sheer scale of development; more than 100,000 distinct types of MOFs have been synthesized to date. These materials hold the promise of transforming numerous technologies, including the capture of carbon dioxide emissions from industrial sources—with commercial deployment anticipated between 2026 and 2027—as well as advancements in energy storage, targeted drug delivery systems, and atmospheric water harvesting.

The commercial viability of this technology is already taking shape. Kitagawa’s work on porous coordination polymers (PCPs), which are closely related to MOFs, is being integrated into practical applications. For instance, the Smart Gas Network initiative utilizes CubiTan® containers for transporting methane without relying on traditional pipeline infrastructure. This Nobel Prize serves as a powerful validation, underscoring the global recognition afforded to decades of fundamental materials science research conducted by these visionary scientists.