JEOL Ltd. would like to extend its heartfelt congratulations to Professor Kitagawa, executive vice-president and distinguished professor at the Kyoto University, on his receiving the 2025 Nobel Prize in chemistry for the “development of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs)”.
We also wish to express our admiration for his remarkable achievements and dedication over many years.
Professor Kitagawa was the first in the world to successfully synthesize and establish the concept of PCP (Porous Coordination Polymer)/MOF (Metal-Organic Framework).
PCP/MOF is a novel material that is self-organized by mixing a linker consisting of metal ions and low molecular weight organic compounds.
The material is characterized by a porous structure with numerous nanometer-sized micropores and a very large surface area.
Another important feature of this material is that its function and structure can be designed by selecting appropriate organic linkers and metal ions.
These characteristics make it possible to add a wide variety of functions, including selective adsorption, separation, as well as storage of gases, sensors, ionic conduction, catalysis, and drug delivery.
Furthermore, there are countless practical applications, such as contributing to the environment through the selective adsorption and storage of CO₂, and in energy fields such as rechargeable batteries, fuel cells, and solar cells.
The molecular structure of PCP/MOF plays an important role in its function at the nano-level.
It is a great honor for us that Professor Kitagawa has used our NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer), SynergyED (3D electron diffractometer) , FE-SEM (field emission scanning electron microscope) and TEM (transmission electron microscope) to help him in his research.
In addition, the iCeMS of Kyoto University, to which Professor Kitagawa belongs, Rigaku Holdings Corporation, and we established the RIGAKU/JEOL-iCeMS Innovation Core on September 4, 2025 in order to contribute to his research, and to aim for the creation of new innovations .
We would like to sincerely congratulate Professor Kitagawa for receiving the award, and we will continue to make further contributions to this field through the development of instruments and technologies.