[Nobel Week] Distinguished Professor Susumu Kitagawa Donates Commemorative Items to the Nobel Prize Museum

On 6 December, Distinguished Professor Susumu Kitagawa of iCeMS, who was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, visited the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm, Sweden, to donate commemorative items. The donation included four types of MOFs (Metal-Organic Frameworks) that symbolize the evolution of his research. These scientific samples were accompanied by a handkerchief featuring designs based on the structures of the frameworks.

Professor Kitagawa has previously introduced three types of MOFs as representative examples when discussing the history of the field: the honeycomb-structured MOF reported in 1992, the first MOF with the robustness to enable spatial utilization reported in 1997, and the flexible MOF reported in 2003. Each of these materials signifies a critical turning point in the development of MOF research. In addition to these three types, the current donation includes a MOF that enabled the first successful visualization of the arrangement of gas molecules adsorbed within the pores in 2002.

The donation also includes a handkerchief featuring MOF structures which was planned and designed by Associate Professor Mari Toyama and Assistant Professor Mindy Takamiya of the iCeMS' Communications Design Unit. It features artistic renderings of the 1992, 1997, and 2003 MOF structures in a soft, approachable touch.

It is a longstanding tradition for Nobel Laureates to donate artifacts related to their discovery or research journey to the museum. These items will now be part of the Nobel Prize Museum’s permanent collection in Stockholm. Through future exhibitions, the museum aims to share the significance of Professor Kitagawa’s contributions to science with a global audience.