Cutting-edge research at Stockholm University on MOFs, Nobel Prize-Winning Materials
A MOF is a combination of organic and metallic components, created in test tubes by combining metal ions with organic molecules to form a nanoporous material. Using electron microscopes capable of imaging crystals at the molecular scale, researchers can analyze their structures and evaluate the potential of newly developed MOFs.
It's important that we develop different kinds of MOFs that can meet different needs. Some need to withstand very harsh environments, others need to tolerate high temperatures or operate in water. Some should last a lifetime, while others need to be flexible and break down after fulfilling their function - for example, controlled release of anticancer drugs to cancer cells inside the body,” says Xiaodong Zou, the Professor who brought the research on metal-organic frameworks to Sweden and Stockholm University twenty years ago.
Purifying wastewater
One of the goals of MOF research is to identify practical applications for different types of MOFs. In 2023, Stockholm University researchers developed a MOF capable of purifying wastewater from pharmaceutical residues. Toxic molecules in the water can be absorbed and captured by the MOF like a sponge, enabling their removal.
“We found out that the combination of an organic molecule from pomegranate and the metal ion zirconium(IV) formed a new highly water-stable MOF. Since the MOF is electronically charged, it has an extra high capacity for attracting oppositely charged environmental pollutants,” says Ken Inge, leader of one of the research groups.
Ken constantly searches for materials suitable for creating MOFs. On the shelves in his office are bags of organic substances - items he has sourced online or from health-food stores:
“It’s important to look for solutions that don’t already exist and to keep creativity alive. If we follow others, we will not make any large steps in the direction we want to go in our research. But if we look for inspiration outside of our immediate surroundings, the research can move in its own unique direction,” he continues.
Together with his colleague Tom Willhammar, who also leads one of the research groups, he maintains an ongoing dialogue about potential applications for new MOFs. Everyone in the group is encouraged to test their ideas:
Sometimes that leads to new discoveries. If we see that there’s something new here, we let that idea grow. I think it’s very important for creativity that you’re free to explore things and test your ideas,” says Tom Willhammar.
MOFs for catalysis
In a nearby lab, Belén Martín-Matute studies MOFs as catalysts in organic synthesis - in other words, to accelerate chemical processes. Catalysis can also initiate reactions that do not occur naturally and can direct chemical processes to produce exactly what is needed. For example, a specific pharmaceutical.
That’s the amazing thing about MOFs: we can fine-tune them to create precisely the MOF that is needed for a particular purpose. And we have the chemical expertise required to do that. This makes the possibilities for MOFs endless,” says Belén Martín-Matute.
She is supported by Professor Miguel Rivero Crespo, who works at the intersection of organic chemistry, sustainable chemistry, and materials science. Together with his research team, he searches for new materials that, through catalysis, can solve difficult chemical challenges - for instance, by developing MOFs with multiple functions within a single material.
Transforming waste
A current challenge is the shortage of materials needed for essential products such as pharmaceuticals or agricultural pesticides. One solution could be to convert materials that are easy to obtain anywhere into something that can serve as a replacement.
The team recently published its first scientific paper on the oxidation of several organic molecules using ordinary oxygen from air instead of toxic chemicals. Oxidation is a chemical process used, among other things, to produce metals and chemical compounds. With the right MOF, the entire process can become both fast and environmentally friendly.
The team is also working on converting biomass from nature into compounds that are difficult to obtain in industry.
Our goal is to transform materials and substances that are readily available everywhere or even considered waste into something useful. Chemistry often relies on highly reactive substances like noble metals, which are both expensive and scarce. But through catalysis with MOFs containing abundant elements we can convert ordinary oxygen, plastic waste or natural biomass into valuable materials,” says Miguel Rivero Crespo.
The challenges keep coming
The team is continuously searching for new paths forward, always on the lookout for methods that open the door to further breakthroughs.
“We will continue designing and discovering new MOFs catalysts that can address new challenges in organic synthesis. In the near future we will make use of high-throughput experimentation guided by machine learning in the new facilities of CircuLab at Stockholm University”, says Belén Martín-Matute.
Identifying useful MOFs is like finding a needle in a haystack and often takes a long time, admits Xiaodong Zou, but she remains confident that the methods they are using will succeed.
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded in early October to three scientists from Japan, Australia, and the USA for the development of MOFs. Two of the laureates have already visited the team in Stockholm and promised to return.
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