2025 Chemistry Nobel Goes to Molecular Sponges That Purify Water, Store Energy, and Clean Up the Environment

image via New Scientist

October 8, 2025, 10:45 AM

• •The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry honored the development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).
• •MOFs are molecular cages that can trap contaminants, store energy, and deliver drugs.
• •Richard Robson, Susumu Kitagawa, and Omar M. Yaghi were awarded for their contributions.
• •MOFs are being explored for various applications, including wastewater cleanup and energy storage.

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M. Yaghi for their development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), versatile molecular cages. These MOFs can capture contaminants, store energy, and potentially deliver drugs, showcasing their broad applications. Richard Robson's initial concept, inspired by diamond structures, led to the creation of MOFs with tiny holes to trap diverse molecules. The research expanded with Kitagawa's flexible MOFs and Yaghi's stable frameworks, leading to innovations in environmental remediation, energy storage, and drug delivery, and the three researchers will divide the Nobel prize money.

Read original article