The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry honors Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar Yaghi for developing metal–organic frameworks—porous materials poised to reshape carbon capture, water harvesting, and the future of clean technology.
When the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on 8 October, it honored a discovery that bridges the invisible molecular world with humanity’s most visible crises. Susumu Kitagawa (Kyoto University), Richard Robson (University of Melbourne), and Omar M. Yaghi (University of California, Berkeley) were awarded for “the development of metal–organic frameworks,” or MOFs—materials whose intricate lattice structures can trap, separate, or react with gases and chemicals. In the words of the Nobel Committee, “their molecular architecture contains rooms for chemistry.”
That architecture may soon house answers to some of the 21st century’s most urgent problems: how to capture carbon dioxide, extract drinking water from desert air, and store hydrogen or other clean fuels safely. The Nobel’s timing underscores how materials science and climate innovation are converging at a geopolitical inflection point, where chemistry itself becomes an instrument of sustainability and security.
Origins of a Molecular Revolution
Metal–organic frameworks are crystalline compounds made by connecting metal ions—acting as structural “nodes”—with long, organic molecules that serve as “linkers.” The result is an ordered lattice full of nanoscopic pores. This makes MOFs among the most porous substances known, with internal surface areas that can exceed several football fields per gram.
The story began in 1989, when Richard Robson combined copper ions with a four-armed organic molecule. The result was a spacious crystal that, while structurally fragile, hinted at vast potential. It was, as the Nobel summary noted, “like a diamond filled with innumerable cavities.”
Building on this idea, Susumu Kitagawa in the early 1990s demonstrated that gases could enter and exit such frameworks without collapsing them—proving that MOFs were not static but dynamic, even “breathing.” Around the same time, Omar Yaghi refined the concept further. Between 1995 and 2003, his team synthesized stable MOFs that could be rationally designed for specific functions, from gas adsorption to catalysis.
Their combined insights established a new branch of chemistry: reticular synthesis, the deliberate assembly of crystalline frameworks with pre-determined geometry and purpose. Today, tens of thousands of MOFs exist, many with programmable functions that mirror biological selectivity but in robust, inorganic form.
Applications: From Desert Water to Carbon Capture
The promise of MOFs lies in their versatility. The same principles that allow a framework to absorb carbon dioxide can be tuned to capture toxic industrial gases, store energy, or catalyze green reactions.
Water harvesting: Certain MOFs can absorb moisture from extremely arid air, then release it as liquid water when warmed by sunlight—a technology already demonstrated in the Mojave and Negev deserts.
Carbon dioxide removal: MOFs with amine or hydroxyl functional groups selectively capture CO₂ from exhaust streams. Pilot projects show that these materials can outperform conventional amine scrubbers in energy efficiency and recyclability.
Hydrogen storage: High-porosity frameworks serve as stable cages for hydrogen and methane, enabling safe, compact storage critical for next-generation fuel systems.
Pollution control: Laboratory variants can separate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from contaminated water or degrade residual pharmaceuticals in wastewater.
Heiner Linke, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, emphasized that “metal–organic frameworks have enormous potential, bringing previously unforeseen opportunities for custom-made materials with new functions.” This statement captures both the scientific magnitude and the policy implications of the discovery.
The Broader Context: Science, Climate, and Geopolitics
In awarding the prize, the Royal Swedish Academy also reflected an evolving pattern in Nobel selections—recognizing discoveries that fuse fundamental chemistry with global challenges. The 2025 award aligns with rising international urgency around climate adaptation and energy resilience.
Chemistry now operates as both science and statecraft. Nations invest heavily in materials innovation to secure resources, reduce emissions, and maintain technological sovereignty. Japan, Australia, and the United States—home institutions of the three laureates—form part of the Quad alliance, which already prioritizes clean-energy technology and advanced materials as strategic sectors. The MOF breakthrough thus embodies both academic collaboration and geopolitical alignment.
For Japan, Kitagawa’s research reinforces the country’s long tradition of precision materials science, bridging traditional chemistry and emerging sustainability frontiers.
For Australia, Robson’s foundational work underscores the country’s scientific contribution beyond its mining-export identity, reflecting an investment in fundamental research with global payoff.
For the United States, Yaghi’s leadership in reticular chemistry at Berkeley consolidates its position as an innovation hub in climate technology and nanomaterials.
At a time when supply chains for clean-tech components—from lithium to rare earths—are increasingly contested, the ability to design materials atom by atom has strategic weight. MOFs could become intellectual property assets with economic and diplomatic value.
Scientific and Economic Momentum
Data from the American Chemical Society indicate that MOF-related publications have grown exponentially, from fewer than 100 papers in 2000 to more than 10,000 annually by 2024. Industry applications are following: over 100 startups globally now explore MOF-based systems for gas storage, filtration, or catalysis.
Estimates by market analysts such as Mordor Intelligence project the global MOF market could exceed USD 5 billion by 2030, driven by climate mitigation technologies. Collaborations between academic labs and industrial giants—BASF, Toyota, and ExxonMobil among them—are already translating MOFs from bench to pilot scale.
Despite challenges of cost, durability, and scalability, progress in 3D printing and additive manufacturing is enabling MOF-based membranes and composites for industrial use. The Nobel spotlight will likely accelerate both investment and intellectual property competition in this field.
Expert Perspectives
Olof Ramström, member of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, observed in the official brief that MOFs exemplify “how molecular design enables societal transformation.” Similarly, materials scientist Laura Gagliardi of the University of Chicago noted in Nature Materials earlier this year that “MOFs are no longer exotic; they are an essential part of how chemists imagine sustainable futures.”
Such statements highlight a shift: chemistry is not merely descriptive but constructive—capable of building solutions atom by atom.
Looking Ahead: Six Months and Ten Years
Near-term outlook (2025–2026):
- Research funding for MOF-related clean-tech initiatives is expected to surge, particularly under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and Japan’s Green Transformation program.
- Pilot plants using MOF-based CO₂ capture may enter demonstration phases in East Asia and North America.
- Interdisciplinary research will focus on hybrid frameworks combining MOFs with polymers or quantum materials for enhanced conductivity and selectivity.
Long-term trajectory (to 2035):
- Commercial MOF production could become central to global carbon-management and water-recovery industries.
- Integration with AI-driven molecular design may yield next-generation frameworks with programmable functions, approaching biological adaptability.
- Policy frameworks may evolve to treat advanced materials as public-good assets—requiring international collaboration akin to climate treaties.
The implications extend to education and diplomacy. As Nobel laureates from three continents, Kitagawa, Robson, and Yaghi exemplify scientific pluralism at a time of geopolitical fragmentation. Their shared achievement is a reminder that molecules, too, can embody multilateral cooperation.
A Reflection Beyond the Laboratory
Metal–organic frameworks are, at heart, structures of space—order imposed upon emptiness. In that sense, the 2025 Chemistry Nobel affirms that innovation begins not in reaction, but in architecture: in the design of possibilities. As the world faces environmental and geopolitical turbulence, the laureates’ work reminds policymakers and scientists alike that structure—molecular or institutional—is the foundation of resilience.
The “rooms for chemistry” they created may soon become rooms for survival, proving that in the smallest of spaces lies the vastness of human ingenuity.