On October 8, 2025, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M. Yaghi for their pioneering development of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), a new class of crystalline materials that can capture, store, and manipulate molecules with precision.
Their discoveries have fundamentally changed how scientists design and construct solid materials, bridging the gap between molecular chemistry and materials engineering. The laureates’ research has opened new avenues for applications in clean energy, environmental remediation, catalysis, and advanced manufacturing.
The scientific challenge they conquered
Throughout the 20th century, chemists learned to build and control individual molecules with remarkable precision. Yet extending that control to larger, three-dimensional solids proved far more difficult. Connecting atoms into stable frameworks and predicting how they would arrange themselves remained a major challenge.
Nobel laureate Roald Hoffmann once called this pursuit a “synthetic wasteland,” while Nature editor John Maddox wrote in 1988 that it was “one of the continuing scandals in the physical sciences” that even simple crystal structures could not be predicted.
For decades, constructing solids with atomic precision was seen as one of chemistry’s great ambitions. The 2025 Nobel laureates finally met that goal through the design of metal–organic frameworks.
What are metal-organic frameworks?
Metal-organic frameworks, commonly referred to as MOFs, are compounds consisting of metal ions or clusters linked by organic ligands to form rigid, porous, three-dimensional structures. These materials resemble molecular scaffolds with enormous internal surface areas and tunable cavities that can hold, separate, or transform other molecules.
©Johan Jarnestad/The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences from: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2025/popular-information
By combining the precision of organic chemistry with the structural stability of inorganic networks, MOFs allow scientists to tailor materials at the molecular level. Their modular nature enables researchers to adjust pore size, chemical functionality, and stability, leading to applications in gas storage, catalysis, sensing, and environmental purification.
Richard Robson: The visionary builder of predictable frameworks
In the late 1980s, University of Melbourne chemist Richard Robson made a breakthrough that reshaped coordination chemistry. He showed that crystalline frameworks could be built in a predictable and rational way, moving beyond the trial-and-error methods of the time.
Working with copper(I) ions and a rigid tetranitrile ligand, Robson and his team created the first diamondoid three-dimensional framework, a solid whose structure and porosity could be anticipated from its components. The resulting crystal had large internal cavities that remained stable even after guest molecules were removed, allowing ion exchange and maintaining structural integrity.
Robson’s discovery proved that solid frameworks could be designed with intent. His concept of assembling materials from well-defined molecular building blocks laid the foundation for modular chemistry and paved the way for the development of metal–organic frameworks as a new class of engineered materials.
His sole patenting activity was the 2017 application WO2019010517A1, titled “Methods of capturing and storing anaesthetics using metal-organic frameworks,” filed with collaborators at The University of Melbourne. The patent has since lapsed, marking the only formal record of Robson’s intellectual property activity.
Capturing and storing anaesthetics using metal organic frameworks
Inhalation anesthetics such as nitrous oxide, isoflurane, and sevoflurane are widely used in modern medicine, but only a small fraction of these compounds are metabolized by the body. Most are exhaled unchanged, posing both health hazards to medical personnel and environmental risks due to their potency as greenhouse gases. Xenon has been considered an ideal anaesthetic alternative due to its safety and environmental profile, but its production is energy-intensive and unsustainable. There is therefore a need for materials that can efficiently capture, store, and recycle anaesthetic gases in clinical settings.
WO2019010517A1 describes methods for capturing, storing, and delivering anaesthetic compounds using metal organic frameworks (MOFs) with tetrahedrally coordinated metal centers and bridging ligands such as 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (hba), 4-hydroxybiphenylcarboxylic acid (hbpc), and 2-methyl-4-hydroxybenzoic acid (2-mehba). These MOFs exhibit exceptionally high sorption capacity and selectivity for anaesthetic gases, even under typical operating theatre conditions. The captured anaesthetic can be released by exposing the MOF to a lower partial pressure, allowing controlled delivery or recovery for reuse.
The application, titled “Methods of capturing and storing anaesthetics using metal organic frameworks,” was filed on July 13, 2017 by The University of Melbourne and published on January 17, 2019. The patent lists Brendan Abrahams, Paul Donnelly, David Dharma, Keith White, and Richard Robson as inventors. The filing was managed by FPA Patent Attorneys.
Omar M. Yaghi: The architect of reticular chemistry
Professor Omar M. Yaghi of the University of California, Berkeley, laid the conceptual foundation that unified and transformed the study of porous materials. In the mid-1990s, he coined the term metal–organic framework (MOF) and introduced a systematic approach to designing them, turning what had been a fragmented field into a coherent discipline.
Yaghi’s creation of MOF-5 (Zn₄O(BDC)₃) marked a major breakthrough in materials chemistry. The compound exhibited permanent porosity, exceptional thermal stability, and an internal surface area greater than that of many commercial adsorbents. More importantly, it proved that crystalline frameworks could be built in a predictable, modular way from molecular components.
He later formalized this approach as reticular chemistry, the assembly of rigid molecular building blocks into ordered structures through strong chemical bonds. Yaghi also introduced “isoreticular design,” which allowed the creation of materials with the same topology but different pore sizes and functions, giving researchers precise control over properties and enabling advances in carbon capture, hydrogen storage, and water harvesting.
Patenting Activity
Omar M. Yaghi’s patenting activity highlights how his groundbreaking research in reticular chemistry has translated into practical innovations. His global patent filings show steady progress since the mid-2000s, with a significant surge in 2018, the same year he received the Wolf Prize in Chemistry and the Eni Energy Transition Award.
These honors recognized his pioneering work on metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs), which have enabled advances in methane storage, carbon capture, and atmospheric water harvesting.
Metal–organic frameworks with exceptionally large pore apertures
Porous crystalline materials such as metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are key to gas storage, separation, and catalysis. However, traditional MOFs have pore apertures limited by the size and geometry of their organic linkers, constraining the diffusion and adsorption of larger molecules. Expanding pore size while maintaining structural integrity has been a long-standing challenge in framework design.
U.S. Patent No. 9,669,098 discloses metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and isoreticular MOFs (IRMOFs) featuring exceptionally large pore apertures. The frameworks have a general structure of M–L–M, where M represents a metal such as magnesium or zinc, and L is an organic linker. These linkers include adjustable groups like carboxylates and aromatic or heterocyclic rings, allowing precise control over pore size and chemical properties. The patent also describes versions with extended linkers to produce frameworks with larger lattice structures and interconnected cavities.
The patent further provides synthetic methods for forming these MOFs under elevated temperature conditions using metal salts and organic linkers in suitable solvents. The resulting structures can optionally undergo post-framework modification to alter surface chemistry, such as decreasing hydrophobicity or enhancing adsorption selectivity. These design strategies enable the creation of stable, high-porosity MOFs suitable for advanced applications in gas storage, catalysis, and molecular separation.
The patent, titled “Metal-organic frameworks with exceptionally large pore apertures,” was filed on July 13, 2015 by the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and granted on June 6, 2017. The patent lists Omar M. Yaghi, Hiroyasu Furukawa, and Hexiang Deng as inventors. Legal representation was provided by Gavrilovich, Dodd & Lindsey LLP with attorneys Michael Lindsey, Joseph Baker, Charles Gavrilovich et al. handling the application.
Susumu Kitagawa: Pioneer of the ‘Breathing Frameworks’
Professor Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University built on Richard Robson’s pioneering work by showing that crystalline frameworks are not always rigid. His research revealed porous coordination polymers that could absorb and release gases like nitrogen and carbon dioxide without losing their structural integrity, challenging long-held assumptions about the behavior of solid materials.
Kitagawa’s distinctive “tongue-and-groove” structures provided the first clear evidence that crystalline solids could act dynamically, expanding or contracting to accommodate guest molecules. He went on to classify these frameworks into three generations: rigid structures, flexible yet stable frameworks, and responsive “soft porous crystals” that change shape when exposed to external forces such as pressure or temperature.
By introducing flexibility and responsiveness into materials once considered static, Kitagawa redefined solid-state chemistry. His discoveries paved the way for a new class of smart materials that adapt to their environment, advancing fields such as gas storage, catalysis, and chemical sensing.
Patenting Activity
Susumu Kitagawa’s patent activity reached key peaks in 2015 and 2022, aligning with major milestones in his career.
In 2015, he received the Marco Polo Prize and led discoveries shaping the future of plastics, while in 2022 he was recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher. His recent patents highlight continued innovation in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), including heat-resistant designs for high-temperature and industrial applications.
Heat-resistant metal organic framework for high-temperature applications
Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous materials with promising applications in gas storage, catalysis, and chemical separation. However, conventional MOFs often degrade or lose structural integrity at elevated temperatures, limiting their use in industrial environments where heat stability is essential. Enhancing thermal durability without sacrificing sorption performance remains a key materials challenge.
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2025/0186971 describes a metal-organic framework (MOF) designed for improved heat resistance. It features an organic ligand, oxygen-based groups, and metal ions bonded together to form a stable lattice. The structure includes multiple metal ions per unit and has a high water absorption rate of 25% or more, showing strong thermal stability. In some designs, three or four metal ions are connected through oxygen atoms, with ligands such as carboxylates or oxalates. The metals can come from groups 2 to 14 of the periodic table. This design results in a framework capable of maintaining performance and porosity under high-temperature conditions, addressing a major limitation of conventional MOFs.
The application, titled “Metal organic framework,” was filed on March 16, 2023 by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. and Kyoto University, and published on June 12, 2025. The patent lists Susumu Kitagawa, Masakazu Higuchi, Kenichi Otake, and Yuta Kikuchi as inventors. Legal representation was provided by Rimon PC, with attorneys Michael Fogarty, Robert Hayden, Tomoki Tanida et al. managing the application.
Global impact and modern applications
Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have rapidly advanced from academic research to industrial application, driven by their highly tunable structures and vast surface areas. These materials are now being used for hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide storage, as well as for carbon capture through frameworks such as CALF-20. Other systems, including MOF-303, enable the extraction of potable water from arid air, while structures like UiO-67 are being developed to remove persistent pollutants such as PFAS and heavy metals from wastewater.
The collective contributions of Richard Robson, Susumu Kitagawa, and Omar Yaghi have transformed chemistry into a design-oriented science capable of constructing materials with atomic precision. Their pioneering work continues to shape advancements in nanotechnology, clean energy, and environmental sustainability.