The 2025 Chemistry Nobel: Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) and the 'Grammar of Matter'
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: General Science (Chemistry - Porous Materials); Science and Technology (Nanotechnology, New Materials, Applications like Carbon Capture, Water Harvesting, Hydrogen Storage); Current Events (Nobel Prizes).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 3 (S&T, Environment): Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life; Awareness in the fields of Nanotechnology; Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation. The applications of MOFs are directly relevant to major challenges discussed in this paper.
Key Highlights from the News
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to three scientists: Richard Robson, Susumu Kitagawa, and Omar Yaghi.
The award is for the discovery and development of a new class of materials called Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), which have ultra-fine pores.
What are MOFs?: These are crystal structures formed by combining metal ions and organic linker molecules in a specific way.
Key Feature: They possess a gigantic internal surface area. (A few grams of MOF can have the surface area of a football field). ⚛️
Main Uses:
For capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
For harvesting water from desert air, even from the driest air.
For safely storing clean fuels like hydrogen.
To remove toxins from water.
A major breakthrough is that unlike previous materials like zeolites, MOFs can be given a flexible ("breathe") and precisely designable structure.
The article states that this discovery has established "a new grammar of matter."
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