- MOFs are a new class of crystalline solids designed to trap various substances like greenhouse gases, harvest water, and deliver drugs.
- They are highly porous with the greatest internal surface area of any known material; a single gram can theoretically cover a football field.
- MOFs originate from reticular chemistry, pioneered by Omar Yaghi, and include related structures like COFs and ZIFs.
- Yaghi's team created a water-harvesting MOF that extracts water from dry air using solar energy, producing about 1.3 liters per pound every 12 hours.
- The technology is scalable for various applications, from small-scale to village-level water supply, and is being commercialized.
- Yaghi developed MOFs 20 years ago by combining metals with organic molecules, leading to over 20,000 types with diverse applications.
- Applications include carbon capture from power plants, safer pesticide delivery, and targeted chemotherapy drug delivery due to biodegradability.
- The future goal is widespread deployment to address societal problems in energy, environment, and medicine.
- Yaghi has received numerous awards for his work, including the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, and is considered a Nobel contender.