Journalist Zhang Zhang

If a real estate agent is responsible for promoting properties in the molecular world, he may say, "This is a spacious and bright bachelor apartment tailored to water molecular weight."

Such ¡°houses¡± do indeed exist. They are molecular structures carefully designed by scientists ¨C metal organic frameworks (MOFs). This year, the Nobel Prize for Chemistry was awarded to Japanese scientists Nokawa, Australian scientist Richard Robson and American scientist Omar Yaghi in recognition of their pioneering contributions to the development of MOF materials.

This new type of molecular structure has a large amount of empty cavities inside which molecules can enter freely.Thanks to the work of three scientists, chemists have now been able to design tens of thousands of different MOFs, bringing a series of "miracles" to the chemical field.

Richard Robson: ¡°Molecular Architecture¡± is inspired by a chemistry lesson

Scientific discoveries often begin with thinking of "hoping out of the framework."The story of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry stems from a section of preparation for ordinary chemistry lessons.

In 1974, Richard Robson was making a molecular model for the classroom, and he used a wooden ball to represent atoms and a wooden rod to represent chemical keys.

It wasn't until more than ten years later that he finally started to verify this idea. Robson combined positively charged copper ions with four-armed molecules. As a result, these molecules self-assembled into a regular three-dimensional crystal structure like a diamond lattice. The difference is that there are a large number of cavities inside this crystal. In 1989, he published his results in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, proposing the potential of such molecular networks for the first time, predicting that they would give materials unprecedented properties.

Richard Robson was inspired by the structure of the diamond, where each carbon atom in the diamond connects with the other four carbon atoms to form a pyramid-shaped structure.

Since then, Robson has synthesized multiple molecular networks containing empty cavities and demonstrated that the ions inside these structures can be interchanged so that matter can come out. He has demonstrated molecular crystals that can be designed on demand, and suggested that this material can be used as a catalyst. Though early materials were fragile, degradable and considered ¡°inutile,¡± Robson has opened the door to ¡°molecular construction.¡±

Kitagawa Jin: Make "useless things" useful

In the 1990s, Nagoya entered the fire that Robson explored, and his belief was: ¡°To see the usefulness of ¡®the useless thing.¡¯¡±

In 1992, he built a two-dimensional molecular material that forms an empty hole between the molecules that can accommodate acetone molecules. Though the functionality is limited, this represents a brand new molecular design thinking. He also uses metal ions as a ¡°footer¡± to connect organic molecules.

In 1997, he successfully constructed a metal organic skeleton, which is intertwined by an open passage.

In 1997, his team used magnesium, magnesium, zinc ions and 4.4¡ä-connector molecules to build a three-dimensional MOF structure to form intersecting empty channels. When they removed the water from the material, these holes remained stable, absorbing and releasing gases such as methane, oxygen, nitrogen without deforming.

Faced with "already porous zeolite, why do we need MOF?" Beichuan Jin gave the key answer to his doubts. He believes that MOFs can be built from a variety of metals and organic molecules, can be customized in functions, and the materials are flexible and can adsorb and release gases like breathing. This definition lays the scientific foundation for MOF.

Omar Yaghi: Naming and Giving Strength to Molecular Tree

Across the ocean, Omar Yaghi continued and expanded this concept.

In 1995, Yaji officially proposed the name "metal-organic framework (MOF)", defining this crystal structure composed of metal nodes and organic ligands with regular cavities.

In 1999, Aji built a very stable material, MOF-5, which has a cubic structure.

He then developed MOF-5 in 1999, an extremely stable and vast frame structure that does not collapse even at 300°C. The most shocking is its internal surface area: the total internal area of several grams of MOF-5 is equivalent to a football field, far beyond traditional boiling stone.

Agi¡¯s team continued to expand the MOF family, creating dozens of variants for storing methane, capturing carbon dioxide, and even using MOFs in the desert to create the miracle of ¡°air-watering¡±: night materials absorb water vapour from the air, release liquid water after heating by the sun during the day, providing a new way to water for dry areas.

MOF-303 can capture water vapor from the desert air at night. When the sun heats the material in the morning, it releases water for drinking.

Today, scientists have designed tens of thousands of MOFs that are used in many cutting-edge areas such as carbon capture, air purification, drug delivery, energy storage.

Some scientists believe that MOFs have huge potential and are expected to become "material for the 21st century".With the development of MOFs, no matter what the future, the three scientists offer us new ways to solve major issues such as energy, environment and health, which is in line with the spirit of "benefit for mankind" in Nobel's will.

Source: Science and Technology Daily The pictures in the article are all from the Nobel Prize official website