Chemistry Nobel Award Recognizes 3 Researchers for Innovative Studies on Framework Materials
This year's Nobel Prize in the field of chemistry has been awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M Yaghi for their foundational contributions on metal-organic frameworks.
Their investigations could be applied to solve numerous major worldwide problems, including CO2 capture to fight global warming or reducing synthetic debris through sophisticated chemical processes.
“It’s a profound honor and pleasure, thank you,” stated the Japanese scientist in a phone call with the media event subsequent to receiving the decision.
“How much time must I spend here? I need to leave for a scheduled meeting,” the laureate continued.
The three laureates are splitting monetary reward totaling 11 million Swedish kronor (about £872k).
Framework Construction on a Center of their Achievement
Their researchers' work centers around how molecular units are built in unison into complex frameworks. Award organizers termed it “structural molecular engineering”.
The scientists developed methods to construct assemblies with considerable spaces among the components, enabling different compounds to travel within them.
Such materials are known as MOFs.
This declaration was delivered by the Swedish scientific body in a media briefing in Stockholm.
Prof. Kitagawa is affiliated with Kyoto University in Japan, Prof. Robson is associated with the University of Melbourne in Australia, and Professor Omar M. Yaghi is at the UC in the United States.
Earlier Award Laureates in Science Categories
Last year, three other scientists were granted the prize for their research on proteins, which are critical elements of living organisms.
This is the 3rd scientific prize presented recently. On Tuesday, three physicists earned the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on quantum mechanics that facilitated the creation of the quantum processor.
At the start of the week, 3 scientists investigations on how the immune system attacks harmful microbes secured them the prize for medical science.
One laureate, Fred Ramsdell, was unaware of the notification for nearly a day because he was on an disconnected trek.
