Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025 goes to Susumu Kitagawa (Kyoto University), Richard Robson (University of Melbourne) and Omar M. Yaghi (University of California, Berkeley) for the development of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs)—porous materials with vast internal surface area that can capture gases and harvest water.
Announced in Stockholm on 8 October 2025, the award recognizes work with potential to address CO2 removal, water scarcity and cleaner industrial processes.
What are metal–organic frameworks and why they matter
MOFs are crystalline networks built from metal nodes and organic linkers, forming molecular architectures with “rooms” where molecules can move in and out. Their exceptional porosity enables selective gas storage and separation, catalysis, and water harvesting.
The Nobel Committee likened their storage capacity to Hermione Granger’s handbag—compact yet able to hold an extraordinary amount—underlining how tiny structures can host immense surface areas and diverse chemistries.
From early designs to stable, scalable materials
Pioneering work by Richard Robson in the late 1980s established diamond‑like coordination networks, later advanced by Susumu Kitagawa, who demonstrated stable frameworks and gas uptake. Omar M. Yaghi then systematized modular assembly to produce highly ordered MOFs with record surface areas and tunable functions. Together, these advances turned MOFs from laboratory curiosities into a defining class of 21st‑century materials with broad applicability.
Climate and water applications move from promise to pilots
Thanks to their selectivity and reversibility, MOFs can capture CO2 from flue gases or ambient air and store or separate other gases, including hydrogen and methane. Field trials and prototypes show MOFs can pull water from arid air and then release it when warmed, suggesting uses from off‑grid drinking water systems to humidity control in logistics.
Researchers also explore MOFs to trap toxic gases, remove PFAS and pharmaceutical residues from water, and catalyse cleaner reactions, offering pragmatic pathways toward EU climate and circular‑economy goals.
Expert reaction underlines the breakthrough’s scope
Former chemistry laureate Morten Meldal described the MOF breakthrough as an “epoch‑making discovery” with wide practical and scientific use, noting its relevance to cutting atmospheric CO2 and enabling water generation in deserts. The Nobel Committee’s Heiner Linke highlighted the “rooms for chemistry” inside MOFs, a metaphor that captures both their storage capacity and platform potential across sectors from energy to environmental remediation.
Ceremony, prize and European context
The three scientists will receive the prize in Stockholm on 10 December 2025, along with SEK 11 million (approx. €950,000). For Nordic and EU readers, the award underscores how materials science intersects with energy security, water resilience and industrial decarbonisation—policy priorities across Nordic countries and the European Union. Expect intensified public–private investment to translate MOF research into carbon capture, green hydrogen handling and advanced filtration solutions.
What comes next for MOFs
Key challenges include scaling production, durability in real‑world conditions, cost per kilogram, and life‑cycle impacts of synthesis. Yet the designability of MOFs and the growing ecosystem of startups and industrial pilots suggest a clear trajectory: tailored frameworks targeting specific molecules, integrated into modular climate‑tech and water systems. As research broadens, MOFs are poised to become workhorse materials in clean‑tech supply chains.
The chemistry behind metal–organic frameworks has matured into a platform technology with tangible climate and water benefits. The 2025 Nobel recognizes that shift—and signals renewed momentum for Nordic–EU collaborations turning MOF science into scalable solutions.
