Chemistry Nobel Award Recognizes Three Experts for Groundbreaking Studies on Framework Materials
The prestigious award in the field of chemistry goes to three distinguished scientists for their influential work on MOFs.
The scientists' studies may help solve numerous pressing planetary problems, for instance trapping greenhouse gases to fight environmental shifts or curbing plastic pollution through advanced scientific methods.
“I feel tremendously honored and overjoyed, many thanks,” said Professor Kitagawa in a call with the media event following receiving the news.
“How much time must I spend here? I need to leave for a scheduled meeting,” the laureate noted.
The 3 winners will share prize money amounting to 11 million Swedish kronor (equivalent to £872,000).
Framework Construction on a Center of their Discovery
The researchers' research focuses on how chemical compounds are built in unison into elaborate frameworks. Award organizers referred to it as “structural molecular engineering”.
The scientists developed approaches to create frameworks with substantial spaces between the units, permitting different compounds to pass through them.
These compounds are called metal-organic frameworks.
The reveal was presented by the Swedish scientific body in a media briefing in Stockholm.
Professor Kitagawa is based at the University of Kyoto in the Asian nation, Richard Robson is at the Melbourne University in the Australian continent, and Omar Yaghi resides at the University of California in the USA.
Earlier Nobel Recipients in Scientific Fields
Last year, Demis Hassabis, John Jumper, and David Baker won the prize for their work on protein structures, which are fundamental components of biological systems.
This is the third science prize given this week. On Tuesday, three physicists won the physics award for their contributions on subatomic physics that paved the way for the creation of the quantum computing system.
On Monday, three researchers work on how the immune system combats pathogens secured them the award for medical science.
One winner, Dr Fred Ramsdell, did not receive the notification for a full day because he was on an disconnected trek.
