The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Susumu Kitagawa (Kyoto University), Richard Robson (University of Melbourne), and Omar M. Yaghi (UC Berkeley) for their groundbreaking work on metal–organic frameworks (MOFs).

These porous crystal structures have transformed material science by enabling custom-designed molecules for storage, reactions, and conductivity.

Richard Robson began the journey in 1989 by combining copper ions with a four-armed molecule, forming a crystal with vast cavities. Though unstable at first, the structure hinted at revolutionary potential. Between 1992 and 2003, Kitagawa and Yaghi advanced the concept. Kitagawa demonstrated gas flow and flexibility in MOFs, while Yaghi created highly stable versions that could be tailored

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