Nobel Prize in Chemistry Celebrates Three Scientists for Innovative Studies on Metal-Organic Frameworks
The prestigious award in the field of chemistry is given to three distinguished scientists for their seminal research on porous materials.
Their research may help solve numerous pressing worldwide problems, such as CO2 capture to combat global warming or minimizing synthetic debris through advanced scientific methods.
“I feel tremendously honored and overjoyed, many thanks,” stated Professor Kitagawa in a call to the media event subsequent to learning the news.
“How much time must I spend here? I need to leave for a scheduled meeting,” Professor Kitagawa continued.
These three laureates will share award funds amounting to SEK 11 million (about £872k).
Molecular Architecture at the Center of their Achievement
The researchers' research involves how molecular units can be assembled collectively into elaborate structures. The selection panel described it as “structural molecular engineering”.
The professors devised techniques to construct assemblies with large voids between the molecules, permitting different compounds to travel via them.
Such structures are called metal-organic frameworks.
This reveal was delivered by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in a press event in Stockholm, Sweden.
Prof. Kitagawa is based at Kyoto University in Japan, Richard Robson is at the Melbourne University in the Australian continent, and Omar Yaghi resides at the University of California in the US.
Previous Award Laureates in Science Fields
In the previous year, Demis Hassabis, John Jumper, and David Baker were granted the honor for their work on protein structures, which are critical elements of biological systems.
This is the third science recognition presented this week. On Tuesday, John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis received the physics award for their research on quantum theory that facilitated the development of the quantum processor.
At the start of the week, three scientists work on how the body's defenses targets hostile infections won them the award for medical science.
A single recipient, Dr Fred Ramsdell, did not receive the news for 20 hours because he was on an off-grid trek.
