“MOFs have the potential of watering dry regions of the world”

Recognized with the 10th Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences, chemist Omar Yaghi explains in this interview how metal–organic frameworks (MOFs)—ultra-porous structures engineered at the molecular level—have the potential to transform access to drinking water in arid regions and capture gases such as CO₂ to mitigate climate change. Yaghi describes how his approach makes it possible to “harvest water from air” using sunlight, without the need for pumps, and reflects on the convergence of materials chemistry, engineering, and social impact in his pursuit of solutions for a more sustainable planet.

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Basic Sciences category goes, in this tenth edition, to Jordanian-American chemist Omar Yaghi, “for his pioneering work in the conception and synthesis of new crystalline materials, MOFs and COFs, of major impact in science and

Recognized with the 10th Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences, chemist Omar Yaghi explains in this interview how metal–organic frameworks (MOFs)—ultra-porous structures engineered at the molecular level—have the potential to transform access to drinking water in arid regions and capture gases such as CO₂ to mitigate climate change. Yaghi describes how his approach makes it possible to “harvest water from air” using sunlight, without the need for pumps, and reflects on the convergence of materials chemistry, engineering, and social impact in his pursuit of solutions for a more sustainable planet.

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Basic Sciences category goes, in this tenth edition, to Jordanian-American chemist Omar Yaghi, “for his pioneering work in the conception and synthesis of new crystalline materials, MOFs and COFs, of major impact in science and engineering,” with potential applications that extend to “the capture and storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) and trapping water molecules in air to produce water for drinking.”