Professor Omar Yaghi

Winner: 2020 Sustainable Water Award

University of California, Berkeley

For the impactful development of water harvesting from desert air using metal–organic frameworks.

Celebrate Professor Omar Yaghi

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Diversity of thinking is at the heart of discovery.

Professor Omar M. Yaghi has pioneered a new branch of science called reticular chemistry resulting in porous materials called Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs), Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs), and Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIFs). These substances are the most porous known to date and can be easily designed and transformed chemically, making them useful for hydrogen and methane storage, carbon capture and conversion, and catalysis, to mention a few applications.

Particularly, Professor Yaghi has pioneered the use of these porous crystals such as MOFs to harvest water from desert air, and MOFs do it so efficiently that no additional energy is needed other than the warmth of the natural sunlight.

Professor Yaghi called for “personalized water” in which he laid out a vision of having water off grid in the future, where people have a device at home running on ambient solar energy, delivering the water that satisfies the needs of a household. He believes at a time when fresh water resources are becoming increasingly scarce, it is important to establish water as a basic human right that must be guaranteed to every person on earth.

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Omar M. Yaghi is the James and Neeltje Tretter Chair Professor of Chemistry at University of California, Berkeley. He has pioneered several extensive classes of new materials: Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs), Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs), and Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIFs).

The building block approach he developed has led to an exponential growth in the creation of new materials having a diversity and multiplicity previously unknown in chemistry. He termed this field 'Reticular Chemistry' and defines it as “linking molecular building blocks by strong bonds to make extended crystalline structures”. He has developed these materials from basic science to applications in clean energy technologies including hydrogen and methane storage, as well as carbon dioxide capture and storage.

Professor Yaghi has developed a ground-breaking technology using MOFs to harvest pure water straight from the desert air. The key advance came in 2014 when he discovered that members of the MOF family exhibit a sharp uptake of water molecules from air at very low relative humidity (5–20%), and the energy required to get the water out of the MOFs is low. He and his research team have developed several generations of MOF water harvesters with successful field tests in the driest deserts in North America. He has called for “personalized water” in which he laid out a vision of having water off grid in the future.

Professor Yaghi is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, and has been honoured with many awards for his scientific accomplishments, including King Faisal International Prize in Science (2015), Albert Einstein World Award of Science (2017), BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences (2017), Wolf Prize in Chemistry (2018), ENI Award for Excellence in Energy (2018), Gregori Aminoff Prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (2019), and August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann-Denkmünze of the German Chemical Society (2020).

Q+A

How did you first become interested in chemistry?

I became interested in chemistry when I was ten years old and went into a library where I found a book that had drawings of molecules. I didn’t even know that they were molecules, but the drawings looked complex and interesting and they captured my attention. I kept that with me. Later I learned they were molecules, and so chemistry became my favourite topic. It’s strange how a passion for things develops, but it’s also strange how we pick the things we pick as a life passion. I was very interested in knowing, “What is this?” “What is behind things?” “Why do things look the way they do?” And as a child, I was very interested in what is behind what you see, what is it made up from? And what are the smaller and smaller parts of matter? And that’s why chemistry was just captivating to me.

What motivates you?

Everyone, young or old, is stimulated by good questions. They can be on the basic science level or they can be on a practical level. The mind is hungry for stimulation. I was really more intrigued with the question of could I develop chemistry where I can use the infinite number of molecular building blocks that exist as my starting materials and stitch them together into chemical structures? And that was my original motivation. My motivation wasn’t necessarily directly to save humankind through carbon capture or water harvesting, but I knew very well that if I succeeded in answering that basic question that there would be many interesting and fascinating applications leading to solutions to some big problems in society.

What has been your biggest challenge?

Gaining acceptance of my discoveries at the time I made them.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?

Pave your own path. Trends don’t matter as much as asking and researching good questions. Great things will come, eventually. So, be patient.

Why do you think international collaboration is important in science?

Diversity of thinking is at the heart of discovery.

Why do you think interdisciplinary research and collaboration is important in science?

It helps in achieving better outcomes for all involved.

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