Work

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous materials in which metal ions and long carbon-based molecules form crystals with built-in cavities. By varying the building blocks, specific substances can be captured and stored inside the cavities. Following pioneering work by Richard Robson, around the turn of the millenium, Susumu Kitagawa and Omar Yaghi developed more flexible and stable MOFs. These are possible to use, for example, to harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide, store toxic gases or catalyse chemical reactions.