Trio win Nobel chemistry prize for developing material likened to 'Hermione's handbag'

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced that the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University, Richard Robson of the University of Melbourne, and Omar Yaghi of the University of California.

The award is for their groundbreaking work for developing a new form of molecular architecture, yielding materials that can help tackle challenges such as climate change and lack of fresh water.

The three laureates worked to create molecular constructions with large spaces through which gases and other chemicals can flow and that can be utilised to harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide or store toxic gases.

The academy said some of these materials had a remarkably large surface area - a porous material roughly the same amount as a small sugar cube could contain as much surface area as a large football pitch.

"A small amount of such material can be almost like Hermione's handbag in Harry Potter. It can store huge amounts of gas in a tiny volume," Olof Ramstrom, Member of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry said.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry carries a total award of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately $1.2 million), which is shared if there are multiple recipients.

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