Australian Chemist Richard Robson's Nobel-Winning Work on Metal-Organic Frameworks Revolutionizing Global Challenges

Richard Robson from the University of Melbourne.

Sydney:

The 2025 Nobel prize in chemistry has been awarded for the development of metal–organic frameworks: molecular structures with vast internal spaces capable of capturing and storing gases and other chemicals.

This prestigious award is shared by Susumu Kitagawa from Kyoto University, Omar M. Yaghi from the University of California, Berkeley, and Australian professor Richard Robson from the University of Melbourne.

Robson first discovered metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) in 1989 alongside his close collaborator Bernard Hoskins.

At a time when research value faces scrutiny, Robson's journey exemplifies how scientific inquiry leads to real-world impact after years of dedicated effort and institutional support.

A Personal Connection

Professor Robson has inspired countless Australian scientists, including myself, to pursue MOF research. Nearly 90 years old and still active in the laboratory, he continues mentoring students, teaching, and collaborating with colleagues. This Nobel recognition celebrates Richard's decades of commitment to coordination and inorganic chemistry as both researcher and educator.

I've been fortunate to count myself among his many collaborators, and his influence has been profound. Together with Richard and his University of Melbourne colleague Professor Richard Abrahams, we've investigated electron movement within MOFs.

As young chemists, we first encountered Richard's breakthrough during undergraduate lectures. His story powerfully illustrates the essential connection between university teaching and research.

Though the foundational work behind these materials was basic science, Richard's achievement demonstrates how curiosity-driven research delivers crucial real-world applications.

What began as Richard creating molecular models for his undergraduate chemistry students has evolved into transformative technology. MOFs now address some of humanity's greatest challenges, from greenhouse gas capture to drug delivery and medical imaging applications.

Understanding MOFs

Metal–organic frameworks are remarkably porous crystalline materials composed of metal ions connected by organic bridges.

Imagine a sponge with atomic-scale holes. A single teaspoon of such material can possess a surface area equivalent to an entire football field.

The shapes, dimensions, and functionality of these microscopic pores can be customized, similar to an architect designing buildings with rooms serving different purposes.

Scientists have now developed tens of thousands of MOFs. Some extract water from desert air. Others are designed to remove greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Additional varieties can purify waterways by capturing harmful chemicals.

The Long Path to Practical Applications

While companies are now scaling MOFs to tackle major global challenges, Richard began this work decades earlier.

During a plenary lecture at the 2018 global MOF conference in Auckland, he described how inspiration struck while preparing molecular models for a lecture.

Richard realized that metal ions such as copper could be systematically connected to other atoms like carbon and nitrogen using coordination chemistry principles—essentially creating a molecular Lego system where pieces fit together in specific configurations.

Working with Bernard Hoskins, they recognized that the resulting geometric structure was ordered and contained countless cavities. Over the next decade, fellow Nobel recipients Kitagawa and Yaghi made subsequent discoveries revealing how to stabilize these materials and design them in controlled ways.

Richard Robson was creating a molecular model for class when he conceived the idea that became MOFs. Paul Burston/University of Melbourne

Among the tens of thousands of known MOFs, several are advancing toward commercial application. For example, Richard's collaboration with Brendan Abrahams demonstrated these materials can remove anesthetic greenhouse gases from operating rooms—gases thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide.

MOFs are also being deployed to extract water from air, particularly valuable in arid environments facing water scarcity.

As Australia debates research contributions, higher education value, and productivity enhancement, Richard's legacy highlights the profound importance of education and research and their interconnectedness.

To flourish, however, they require sustained support extending beyond short-term political cycles.

Fundamental science—often driven by curiosity without immediate applications—establishes the foundation for breakthroughs addressing both current pressing challenges and future problems.

Richard Robson now joins just eleven other Australian scientists whose work has earned Nobel recognition. All Australians can take immense pride in Richard's global achievement.

(Author: Deanna D'Alessandro, Professor & Director, Net Zero Institute, University of Sydney)

(This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.)