The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Susumu Kitagawa (Kyoto University, Japan), Richard Robson (University of Melbourne, Australia) and Omar M. Yaghi (University of California, Berkeley).
Many chemists can construct any complex molecule that is single and discrete; however, the creation of an extended structure in three dimensions has proved to be very challenging (Prussian blue, a structure made from repeated iron(III) ion (Fe³⁺) and cyanide ion (CN⁻) sequences, is an example 3D structure). Having a material that could hold smaller substances inside was even more challenging, as it required a further controlled and consistent structure.
The researchers created a new molecular apparatus, called a metal-organic framework (MOF), where metal ions link long carbon chains. These linkages form a crystal lattice structure, with large spaces in between molecules. Depending on the molecules present in the structure, MOFs can capture and store specific substances, such as water from an arid atmosphere or pharmaceuticals in the environment. MOFs can also drive chemical reactions.
Robson started his experimentation in 1989, where he combined positively charged copper ions with a four armed molecule, a molecule with four molecular chains branching from a central core, and obtained a new molecule with the same four armed molecule with copper ions at the end of each arm, serving as new “sticky” ends to attract to each other. While the combined diamond-shaped crystal was unstable, the combination to form a spacious crystal opened new possibilities.
Kitagawa and Yaghi began working on building the MOF’s structure, with Kitagawa showing that gases can flow in and out and MOFs could be made flexible and Yaghi showing that his stable design of a MOF can be modified to have different properties.
Senior Ryan Braga, pursuing a joint BS/MS program in Chemistry, shared his thoughts of the Nobel Prize in an interview with The News-Letter. Braga shared his knowledge of the upcoming work, sharing that he’d been aware of an “arms” race of sorts to see who could create a MOF with the most internal surface area in the field. Braga further explained his perception towards the therapeutic application of MOFs, adding his own knowledge from Hopkins research and courses.
“[There are] drugs that release their target group upon some condition, like pH sensitivity, when it gets to maybe your stomach. You see some parallels with MOFs, [where] you can selectively capture some compound or element and release it upon some condition.” Braga added, “In Dr. Thoi’s inorganic class, she is interested in MOFs [for] batteries [to make them more efficient], which I think is very cool.”
However, Braga further shared that, while he understands the significance of researchers’ works, he acknowledges the work’s early stage.
“The science is very new. It's very young, so it's a bit of a jump-the-gun kind of Nobel Prize. I think it is well deserved. I think it's very interesting. I think it is transformative research, and it's going to change the field, but I do think that the applicative portion of it is still very much in the early days,” Braga shared.
Braga noted that MOFs have recently been tested for hydrogen powered cars. Cars with MOF tanks contain compacted hydrogen gas molecules, which are released to drive longer distances. Braga attributed this development as an early, tangible application of the usability of MOFs.
All three researchers come from broad backgrounds. Yaghi, a Palestine Refugee, grew up in Amman, Jordan, later obtaining a U.S. visa to study in Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y. at the age of 15. By working in grocery stores, Yaghi supported himself financially through his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from the State University of New York at Albany (‘85) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (‘90), respectively. In 2012, Yaghi joined the chemistry department at the University of California, Berkeley and founded the Berkeley Global Science Institute.
Kitagawa, raised in Kyoto, Japan, obtained his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from Kyoto University, later teaching inorganic and synthetic chemistry at Kindai University, Tokyo Metropolitan University and his alma mater, Kyoto University. In 2024, Kitagawa became the Executive President for Research Promotion at Kyoto University.
Robson, raised in North Yorkshire in England, obtained his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from Oxford University. In 1962, Robson moved to California to conduct postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology and Stanford University. In 1966, Robson moved to teach at University of Melbourne, serving as an Honorary Professorial Fellow.
Alongside the award, all three researchers will share 11 million Swedish kroner (about 1.1 million U.S. dollars) equally.
