The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, on Wednesday, has awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to the trio of Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar Yaghi for developing metal-organic frameworks.

The academy, in a Facebook post, at a news conference in Stockholm, Sweden, stated that the 2025 Nobel Prize laureates in chemistry created molecular constructions with large spaces through which gases and other chemicals can flow.

The body said, “It all started in 1989, when Richard Robson tested utilising the inherent properties of atoms in a new way. He combined positively charged copper ions with a four-armed molecule; this had a chemical group that was attracted to copper ions at the end of each arm.

“These constructions, metal–organic frameworks, can be used to harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide, store toxic gases or catalyse chemical reactions.”

The scientists developed a new form of molecular architecture, with metal ions functioning as cornerstones that are linked by long organic (carbon-based) molecules.

“Following the laureates’ groundbreaking discoveries, chemists have built tens of thousands of different MOFs. Some of these may contribute to solving some of humankind’s greatest challenges, with applications that include separating PFAS from water, breaking down traces of pharmaceuticals in the environment, capturing carbon dioxide or harvesting water from desert air,” the body noted.

The academy disclosed a prize amount worth 11 million Swedish kronor expected to be shared equally between the laureates.

The chairperson of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, Heiner Linke, acknowledged the efforts of the laureates, stating that the scientists’ discovery has ‘enormous potential’.

“Metal–organic frameworks have enormous potential, bringing previously unforeseen opportunities for custom-made materials with new functions,” Mr Linke said.