Reticular Materials at the Frontier: Celebrating Nobel Laureates Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M. Yaghi

Porous crystalline networks, exemplified by Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) have revolutionized the landscape of materials chemistry and have become a focal point of interdisciplinary research. Since their conceptual inception, significant advancements in the design and synthesis of MOFs and COFs have enabled tunable porosity, high surface areas, and diverse topologies, thus opening new frontiers in gas storage, catalysis, sensing, drug delivery, and many other fields. The award of the Nobel Prize to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M. Yaghi has underscored the foundational and transformative impact of their contributions to this field, ushering in an era of rapid discovery, innovation, and application. Despite their proliferation, fundamental questions remain regarding the design principles, stability, scalability, and functional integration of MOFs, providing fertile ground for cutting-edge research and collaboration.

This Research Topic aims to honor the Nobel Laureates by presenting the latest discoveries, insights, and advancements in the chemistry of porous crystalline networks, with a focus on MOFs and also including other similar reticular materials as COFs. The main goal is to advance our understanding of the synthesis-structure-property relationships, mechanistic aspects of framework assembly, and the deployment of these reticular materials in cutting-edge applications such as environmental remediation, renewable energy, smart materials, and biomedicine. Additionally, the Topic seeks to highlight emerging strategies for post-synthetic modification, stability improvement, and integration into devices—paving the way for next-generation porous materials. We are especially interested in contributions that offer fresh perspectives on fundamental phenomena, novel architectures, and innovative application paradigms enabled by porous crystalline materials.

The scope of this Research Topic is broad yet well-defined, focusing on fundamental breakthroughs and practical advancements in porous crystalline networks, particularly MOFs. Submissions on related frameworks, such as Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs) and hybrid structures, are also welcome. To gather further insights into the future of porous crystalline materials, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
-Novel synthetic routes and scalable manufacturing of MOFs and related porous frameworks
-Post-synthetic modification and functionalization strategies
-Advanced characterization techniques for structure and dynamics at multiple scales
-Application-driven design for gas storage, separation, catalysis, and sensing
-Stability, durability, and integration into devices for real-world deployment
-Theoretical and computational modeling of structure–function relationships
-Synergies between MOFs, COFs, and other emerging porous materials

By showcasing a broad spectrum of approaches, methodologies, and applications, this Research Topic aims to both celebrate the legacy and impact of the Nobel Laureates and continue pushing the boundaries of porous crystalline network chemistry for the benefit of science and society.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Keywords: Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs), Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs), Porous crystalline networks, Reticular chemistry, Post-synthetic modification, Synthesis–structure–property relationships, Gas storage and separation, Heterogeneous catalysis, Stability

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.