Three pioneers win Nobel Prize for creating materials that can ‘store a football field in your hand’
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recognizes Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M. Yaghi for developing metal-organic frameworks—revolutionary porous materials that harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide, and store hydrogen for clean energy. The announcement came October 8, 2025, from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, awarding the three scientists 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately $1.2 million USD) shared equally.
Metal-organic frameworks represent an entirely new class of molecular architecture. These crystalline materials combine metal ions with organic molecules to create structures containing vast internal spaces—a couple of grams of MOF-5, one early example, contains the surface area of an entire football field. Over 100,000 different MOF structures have been created since the laureates’ breakthroughs, transforming what began as laboratory curiosities into practical solutions for humanity’s most pressing challenges.
The work spans more than three decades. Richard Robson, now 88 and professor emeritus at the University of Melbourne, laid the foundation in 1989 when he deliberately designed infinite crystalline frameworks inspired by wooden molecular models. Susumu Kitagawa, 74, distinguished professor at Kyoto University, made the crucial breakthrough in 1997 by creating stable three-dimensional MOFs that could reversibly absorb and release gases. Omar M. Yaghi, 60, professor at UC Berkeley, coined the term “metal-organic framework” in 1995 and demonstrated in 1999-2003 that these materials could be rationally designed with specific properties. Together, they created the foundation for a field that now publishes nearly 10,000 research papers annually.
Applications transforming industries
MOFs address critical global challenges through their exceptional porosity. Water harvesting devices using Yaghi’s MOF-303 extract up to 3.5 liters per kilogram per day from desert air at relative humidity as low as 7%, powered only by ambient sunlight. Field tests in Death Valley produced drinkable water even on the driest days. Companies are now commercializing devices from microwave-size units producing 7-10 liters daily to large-scale systems generating 22,500 liters per day for communities.
For carbon capture, CALF-20, a zinc-based MOF, captures approximately one tonne of CO₂ daily from cement plant emissions with 95% purity. Svante Inc. has deployed this technology at industrial sites, with manufacturing by BASF producing hundreds of tonnes of MOF material annually. The U.S. Department of Energy has invested $14.5 million in scaling these systems, targeting 2,000 installations by 2040.
Hydrogen storage for fuel cells, PFAS removal achieving 620 mg/g capacity in under one minute, pharmaceutical delivery with drug loading up to 84%, and catalysis for chemical reactions demonstrate the versatility. NuMat Technologies produces approximately 300 tonnes of MOFs yearly for storing toxic gases in the semiconductor industry.
Nobel Committee’s recognition
“Metal-organic frameworks have enormous potential, bringing previously unforeseen opportunities for custom-made materials with new functions,” said HeinerLinke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry. At the press conference, he compared MOFs to “Hermione’s handbag in Harry Potter—it can store huge amounts of gas in a tiny volume.”
The Royal Swedish Academy emphasized the societal impact: “These porous materials can be used to harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide, store toxic gases or catalyze chemical reactions.” Committee member OlofRamström added: “This year’s award is a story full of holes, but with enormous capacity to absorb all your attention.”
Laureates’ reactions
Omar Yaghi received the call while waiting for luggage at an airport between flights. “You cannot prepare for a moment like that. I was just surprised and delighted by the news,” he told the Nobel Committee. “There is nothing like this, it’s an astonishment.” Reflecting on his journey from a Palestinian refugee household in Amman where a dozen family members shared one room with livestock and had water access only once every two weeks, Yaghi emphasized: “Science is the greatest equalizing force in the world.”
Susumu Kitagawa expressed deep gratitude at Kyoto University’s press conference: “Though there have been many difficulties, I have enjoyed being able to actually create new things for more than 30 years.” His research philosophy, inspired by Nobel laureate Hideki Yukawa, focuses on “the usefulness of useless”—pursuing fundamental questions without immediate applications. “My dream is to capture air and separate it into CO₂, oxygen, and water and convert them to useful materials using renewable energy,” he said.
Richard Robson, who returned to teach a first-year chemistry tutorial the day after the announcement, characterized his reaction simply: “Very pleased, of course, and a bit stunned as well.” The 88-year-old professor emeritus continues working in the laboratory at the University of Melbourne, nearly six decades after arriving in Australia. He prepared fish for dinner with his wife when the call came, then “broke that rule by having a glass of very cheap wine.”
Historical significance
Kitagawa becomes the ninth Japanese scientist to win the Chemistry prize and continues Kyoto University’s distinguished lineage—his “academic grandfather” Kenichi Fukui won in 1981, and his laboratory senior Akira Yoshino won in 2019 for lithium-ion batteries. Robson is the 12th Australian Nobel laureate and the fifth from the University of Melbourne. Yaghi, who joined UC Berkeley in 2012, becomes the university’s 28th faculty member to win a Nobel Prize.
The American Chemical Society’s Dorothy J. Phillips noted: “This award highlights chemistry’s greatest strength: the ability to design and build molecular structures that address global challenges. It’s wonderful to see this international collaboration celebrated, with groundbreaking work from scientists across Japan, Australia, and the United States.”
With a predicted market growth from $10 billion in 2024 to $29 billion by 2034, MOFs stand at the threshold of transforming from academic achievement to industrial reality. The award ceremony will take place December 10, 2025, in Stockholm.
-Rashmi Kumari
