Omar Yaghi, Co-director and Chief Scientist at the Bakar Institute of Digital Materials for the Planet, BIDMaP, and the James and Neeltje Tretter Professor of Chemistry, has been honored with the prestigious Balzan Prize for 2024 of Switzerland and Italy. This award recognizes Yaghi's transformative contributions to the field of nanoporous materials and their applications in environmental sustainability.
The Balzan Prize, awarded by the International Balzan Prize Foundation, highlights exceptional achievements in various fields, including literature, moral sciences, and the mathematical, physical, and natural sciences, as well as medicine and other areas that contribute to the advancement of humanity. Yaghi's award underscores his profound impact in the realm of physical science, particularly through his work in the development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs).
Professor Omar Yaghi's innovations in MOFs and COFs have established him as a leading figure in materials science. MOFs, first introduced in 1995, and COFs, developed in 2005, are types of nanoporous materials that feature exceptionally high surface areas and can be precisely engineered for a range of applications. These materials are instrumental in addressing critical environmental challenges such as carbon capture, hydrogen storage, and harvesting water from desert air, which were all first demonstrated by Yaghi.
Yaghi’s prize recognizes the remarkable capabilities that MOFs and COFs have shown in storing gases and capturing carbon dioxide, making significant strides toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions. His research has also led to advancements in hydrogen storage, enhancing the potential for clean energy solutions.
Here is a link to the Chemistry Department's story.