Stockholm: Omar M. Yaghi, the 2024 Tang Prize laureate in Sustainable Development, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025 on Wednesday for "the development of metal-organic frameworks," which can potentially be used to fight climate change. This marks the fourth time laureates of the Tang Prize, founded in Taiwan, have received a Nobel Prize.
According to Focus Taiwan, Yaghi, the James and Neeltje Tretter Chair Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, shared this year's Nobel Prize with Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University and Richard Robson of the University of Melbourne, as stated in a press release by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the prize. The trio has created "molecular constructions with large spaces through which gases and other chemicals can flow," the release read.
The academy suggested the laureates' research could be used to solve problems mankind faces, such as dealing with drought, air pollution, and global warming. "These constructions, metal-organic frameworks, can be used to harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide, store toxic gases or catalyse chemical reactions," the academy said.
Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, emphasized the "enormous potential" of metal-organic frameworks, bringing "previously unforeseen opportunities for custom-made materials with new functions." Following the announcement of this year's top award in chemistry, the Tang Prize Foundation issued a news release congratulating Yaghi on winning the Nobel Prize, marking the fourth time Tang Prize laureates have gone on to receive the honor.
As the 2024 Tang Prize Laureate in Sustainable Development, Yaghi is the first winner in that category to win a Nobel Prize. The foundation described Yaghi as "a renowned chemist and pioneer in the field of reticular chemistry," recalling his visit to Taiwan last year, when the 60-year-old scientist took part in a series of Tang Prize Week events, including the Award Ceremony, Laureate Lectures, Masters' Forums, and a Youth Symposium.
The foundation also noted that its CEO, Chern Jenn-Chuan, had extended "his sincere congratulations to Prof. Omar Yaghi on behalf of the Foundation and its founder, Dr. Samuel Yin." The Tang Prize is a biennial award established in 2012 by Taiwanese entrepreneur Yin, chairman of the Ruentex Group, to honor those who have made significant contributions in four categories -- sustainable development, biopharmaceutical science, sinology, and the rule of law.