Incredible MOFs

 There is a remarkable material called Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) that is the subject of this year’s Nobel prize in Chemistry. These are self-assembled hybrid material made of organic linkers. What is astounding is that they have very high surface area. These are emulating nature’s building blocks: minerals and organics. These have diverse sustainable applications. Two areas that excites are carbon sequestration and extracting humidity from air.

Few years back when I was reading about how seashell went about creating itself, the biomineralization process. It is quite amazing indeed in a way precursor to life. The carbonate ion (from dissolved CO2) and Calcium ions (from dissolved rock minerals in ocean) are guided by framework of organic molecules (like proteins)- as a scaffold, for mineral deposition -the mineralization process. These two ions combine to create calcium carbonate -the shell. So, when the organism die it settles on the ocean floor as sediments and after millions of years as limestones. These limestones are then extracted by cement industry for quicklime from calcium carbonate that is processed to release CO2 (fun fact here is that quicklime when heated produced intense light, this was used to light stages during plays in medieval times hence the term ‘in the limelight’). To cut the story short the whole process of seas shell formation is amazing. So is the case of how Namib beetles use specialized hydrophilic cells to extract water from mist. How are these structures on beetle arranged at molecular level? The high surface area of MOFs is quite intriguing. Does it have parallel in nature or is it human ingenuity of working the periodic table beyond the reach of nature?

One of the scientist awarded, Omar Yaghi, has an amazing generational leap. A refugee from Jordan to US his mother is illiterate. Imagine that. I guess it has to do with, apart from his brilliance ofcourse, framework of accessible high quality public education that US was able to offer, as also some quality teachers and infrastructure. It reminds me of Camus -his mother was deaf and illiterate, from Algeria. What is remarkable about Camus is sophistication of thinking and nuanced expressions that is really quite difficult -indeed almost impossible, to achieve in meagre surrounding and lack of intellectual context. France was able to provide the framework. The reason why liberal progressive space is so important. Now ofcourse internet is making it accessible to all across the world.