Will Nobel Winning Discovery Help Solve Water Shortages in Deserts and Dry Areas?

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The prize was awarded to Susumu Kitagawa from Kyoto University in Japan, Richard Robson from the University of Melbourne in Australia, and Omar M. Yaghi from the University of California, Berkeley, USA. They have been awarded for their work on "metal-organic frameworks" (MOFs).

These scientists have found a new way to make MOFs better, which could help collect water from the air in deserts. This discovery offers a promising solution to water problems in dry areas.

MOFs are made of metal and organic materials, and they have tiny holes that can store gases, remove carbon dioxide from the air, and help in chemical processes. The Nobel winners created a new structure with larger pores, allowing molecules to move in and out easily. This structure can collect water from desert air, clean pollutants from water, absorb carbon dioxide, and store hydrogen.

An expert from the Nobel Prize organization said that these tiny molecules are so small they could fit into a handbag, like one belonging to Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is given each year to scientists whose work improves life and the environment.

The winners will be honored on December 10th. The oldest laureate in history is 97-year-old Goodenough, who received the prize in 2017, while the youngest winner was Frederic Joliot, who won in 1935 at the age of 35. The winners in Physics and Medicine have already been announced.