Chemistry Nobel Award Recognizes 3 Scientists for Innovative Research on Framework Materials
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry goes to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M Yaghi for their foundational research on porous materials.
Their research may help address numerous significant planetary challenges, such as capturing carbon dioxide to combat environmental shifts or minimizing plastic waste through advanced scientific methods.
“I feel tremendously honored and overjoyed, many thanks,” said Prof. Kitagawa via a phone call to the press briefing after hearing the news.
“How long do I have to stay here? Because I have to go out for a meeting,” the laureate noted.
These three winners are splitting monetary reward totaling 11 mln SEK (about £872k).
Structural Design at the Heart of the Breakthrough
The scientists' work centers around how molecular units are built collectively into elaborate frameworks. The selection panel described it as “molecular design”.
The professors devised techniques to create structures with substantial gaps amid the molecules, enabling various substances to flow within them.
These materials are referred to as metal-organic materials.
The announcement was presented by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in a media briefing in Stockholm.
Professor Kitagawa is based at the University of Kyoto in the Asian nation, Professor Richard Robson is associated with the Melbourne University in the Australian continent, and Prof. Yaghi resides at the California University in the USA.
Earlier Award Laureates in Science Categories
In the previous year, Demis Hassabis, John Jumper, and David Baker received the prize for their work on protein structures, which are critical building blocks of life.
It is the third science recognition presented this week. On Tuesday, three physicists earned the Nobel Prize in Physics for their contributions on quantum mechanics that enabled the development of the quantum computing system.
On Monday, three researchers investigations on how the immune system targets harmful microbes secured them the award for medical science.
A single winner, Dr Fred Ramsdell, was unaware of the announcement for nearly a day because he was on an off-grid hiking trip.
