Japanese, Australian, and American scientists win 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

New Delhi, Oct 8: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University (Japan), Richard Robson of the University of Melbourne (Australia), and Omar M Yaghi of the University of California, Berkeley (USA) for their groundbreaking work in developing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), porous materials capable of trapping, storing, and filtering gases and chemicals.

The Nobel Committee cited the trio “for the development of metal-organic frameworks,” praising their creation of molecular architectures with spacious cavities that enable gases and liquids to pass through.

These advanced materials can be used to harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide, store toxic gases, and catalyse chemical reactions.

“Metal-organic frameworks have enormous potential, bringing previously unforeseen opportunities for custom-made materials with new functions,” said Heiner Linke, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.

The three laureates will share the prize of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately USD 1 million).

Susumu Kitagawa, born in 1951 in Kyoto, Japan; PhD, Kyoto University (1979); Professor at Kyoto University.

Richard Robson, born in 1937 in Glusburn, UK; PhD, University of Oxford (1962); Professor at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Omar M Yaghi, born in 1965 in Amman, Jordan; PhD, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (1990); Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, USA.