Core Viewpoint - The Nobel Prize in Chemistry this year was awarded to scientists for their significant contributions to Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), which are materials capable of storing large amounts of gas in a small volume, akin to Hermione's bag in Harry Potter [1] Group 1: Awarded Scientists and Their Contributions - One of the laureates, Kitagawa Jun, is known as the father of Porous Coordination Polymers (PCPs) and demonstrated that gases can flow in and out of MOF structures, predicting their potential for creating flexible materials [3] - Richard Robson was the first to discover the concept of MOFs, inspired by the diamond structure, and designed an ordered pyramid crystal structure [10] - Omar M. Yaghi formally introduced the term MOF and developed stable linkers made from carboxylate groups, which can be modified to impart new desirable properties [14] Group 2: Significance and Potential of MOFs - The Nobel Committee highlighted the immense potential of MOFs to provide unprecedented opportunities for custom materials with new functionalities [7] - MOFs possess a unique porous structure that allows for various applications, such as collecting water from desert air, capturing carbon dioxide, and storing toxic gases [10] - A report from Nature indicated that MOFs are likely one of the most researched materials in the past 20 years, with over 100,000 academic papers related to them, resulting in thousands of different functional MOFs [16] Group 3: Commercialization and Challenges - Despite the extensive research, only a few MOFs have been commercialized, such as CALF-20 by Canadian company Svante, which is used to scale up the removal of CO2 from cement production waste [17] - The main challenge lies in finding the correct material combinations, but once identified, the possibilities are vast [18] Group 4: Personal Insights of Kitagawa Jun - Kitagawa Jun's choice of chemistry as a career was humorously linked to his ability to distinguish between genuine and fake alcohol [4][25] - He is known for his unconventional approach to mentoring students, often encouraging them to engage socially over drinks to foster communication and confidence [30][29] - His unique perspective and intuition in research have been pivotal in his success, emphasizing the importance of luck, patience, and perseverance in scientific discovery [46][47]