On December 10, Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M. Yaghi will receive the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry in Stockholm. This is a milestone for sustainability and the energy transition due to the possibilities opened up by their research on the development of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), with a new generation of materials capable of expanding and absorbing, for example, carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
What are MOFs? Three-dimensional and ultraporous structures where metal ions and organic molecules combine to form a crystalline network of very small particles with an interconnected network of pores capable of amplifying by multiplying their size. As if they were Lego, they can be custom designed to capture enormous amounts of gases or accumulate hydrogen and methane, opening a wide range of possibilities to improving environmental efficiency.
They would also have the capacity to capture atmospheric water and filter it, detect toxic gases, and function as a catalyst for industrial chemical reactions with lower energy consumption and reducing waste production.
The discovery, which deserves this most prestigious award, aligns directly with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, this is not the first time that the Nobel Prize has recognized scientists who have contributed directly or indirectly to making progress towards the energy transition by promoting sustainability.
Other scientific milestones of the last 30 years:
- 1. Nobel Prize in Physics 2025. Quantization of energy in electric circuits
Just this year, in 2025, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to John Clarke, Michel Devoret, and John Martinis, for the discovery of macroscopic quantum tunneling and the quantization of energy in an electrical circuit.
Their contributions to quantum computing will improve weather modeling to better understand climate change mechanisms and design more accurate strategies to try to mitigate it. Furthermore, the quantization of energy are also key to analyzing the superconductors that will aid in the development of batteries and catalysts, in addition to multiplying the efficiency of solar cells.
- 2. 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Li-ion batteries
Six years ago, John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham , and Akira Yoshino revolutionized mobility with the development of lithium batteries (Li-ion).
Why? They have been absolutely fundamental for large-scale renewable energy storage (intermittent solar and wind) and are one of the technological pillars of the wireless world as we know it, with our mobile devices and laptops. Their discovery has been crucial for electrifying transportation (train, bus, car, bicycle, etc.) and thus one of the key factors driving the energy transition.
- 3. Nobel Prize in Physics 2014. LED lights
In 2014, Shuji Nakamura, Isamu Akasaki, and Hiroshi Amano were awarded the prize for the blue light emitting diode (LED). It has been one of modern science’s greatest contributions to global energy efficiency, helping to drastically reduce electricity consumption in lighting in homes, offices, companies, shopping centers, etc., but also in screens, monitors, road signage, and public lighting.
A fact and an example: LEDs consume 80% less energy than traditional incandescent lightbulbs, with a much greater service life An entire light revolution with enormous importance and impact on sustainability. The city council of Alhaurín de la Torre (Malaga) was one of the first public institutions to replace 600 halogens and light points with LEDs to achieve annual savings of 20,000 euros.
- 4. 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Organic synthesis or green chemistry
20 years ago, Yves Chauvin, Robert H. Grubbs, and Richard R. Schrock were awarded the prize from the Swedish Academy for their development of the Metathesis Method in organic synthesis, or olefin metathesis, in its most technical sense.
It consists of a chemical reaction that modifies or exchanges parts of molecules with double links, resulting in much cleaner products with less waste.
What did this mean? A push for green chemistry, which enabled industrial processes with lower energy consumption and greater efficiency, already applied in pharmacology (antivirals, antibiotics, etc.), advanced polymers, and biofuels.