Meet Hailian Li, whose groundbreaking work helped shape Nobel Prize-winning science
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»After I heard Omar had won the Nobel Prize, I found myself hardly able to sleep.«
When the Nobel Prize 2025 in Chemistry was awarded to the trio Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi for the development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in early October, it was also a special moment of pride for our colleague Hailian Li.
Hailian works as a Lead Scientist in our High Throughput Center in Palo Alto, USA. He used to be Yaghi's student and invented the groundbreaking MOF-5, with his paper on it being one of Yaghi's most cited.
In the following interview, Hailian tells us how he helped shape Nobel Prize-winning science, where MOFs intersect with everyday life, and what early research collaborations in the lab of the new Nobel laureate looked like…
Hello, Hailian. Omar Yaghi was recently awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). You used to be a student of his – what was your reaction when you first heard he’d won? And have you been in touch with him since?
Hailian: I first heard the news at 3am on October 8th and, unsurprisingly, found myself hardly able to sleep that night. I sent a congratulatory message to him in short order, though the news had also coincided with my personal travel plans. It was only after I had returned that I found Omar’s replies in both my personal and company emails, realizing that he had invited me to attend the award ceremony in Stockholm on December 10th as a laureate-invited guest.
What initially drew you to Omar Yaghi’s lab, and what was the research environment like during those early days of MOF development?
I joined Omar Yaghi’s lab in 1994 while Omar was still an assistant professor at Arizona State University. The research program there was to study and invent new porous crystalline materials. To me, it was a very interesting and attractive field as those materials would have unique, amazing properties which might have a wide range of applications. During those early days, our lab was modestly equipped, and it was largely through effort and passion in our vision that we were able to achieve our pioneering works.
Hailian (on the left) at Nanjing University Campus with Omar Yaghi.
You invented MOF-5, the first high-temperature stable MOF that ignited the explosion of R&D we’re seeing today. For a broad audience, can you briefly explain the idea behind MOFs and what makes them groundbreaking?
Unlike aluminum silica zeolites, most porous structures are not stable. They collapse when the inclusive guest molecules are removed from the pores. However, Omar and I believed that if we used molecular building blocks with designed geometric structures that could link into extended frameworks using strong bonds, it could be possible to produce materials that could maintain their structural integrity. We chose very simple building blocks to start with: zinc oxide units linked by organic struts (terephthalate), and the successful synthesis of MOF-5 demonstrated that this concept and approach was viable. What makes MOF materials groundbreaking is that they have much higher surface areas and open spaces than zeolites. Properties such as pore sizes and linkers can further be tailored and functionalized easily, enabling a wide variety of applications such as hydrogen storage, carbon dioxide capture, water harvesting from desert air, catalysis, and drug delivery.
Hailian at Yaghi's lab at Arizona State University.
Looking back at your work on MOF-5, did you have a sense at the time that it would become such a transformative material for the field? Was there a particular experiment or moment that made you realize MOFs were something special?
Honestly, I did have a feeling that MOF-5 would be a milestone material for this field because it was the first proof for stable Metal-Organic-Framework materials. True to expectations, it would open a new material research area as well as a whole new field of chemistry – Reticular Chemistry. I could feel its distinctly special status during my entire time working on it. Not only did it have the highest surface area and pore space among all crystalline materials at that time, but also it possessed a beautifully symmetrical 3D structure that took form in its clear, cubic crystals which shined like diamonds. “Art by Mother Nature” is how I would put it.
What were the biggest technical or scientific challenges you faced while developing MOFs, and how did you overcome them?
Any MOFs made need to have a high quality of crystallinity so that you could use single crystal X-ray diffraction to determine their structures. Growth of large, high quality of crystals was necessary, and an optimal synthesis recipe often needed many experiments to be developed.
Thinking back to those early years, is there a specific memory, a lab moment, a conversation with Omar that you’ll never forget?
There’s certainly a lot! Omar is very encouraging person, and he never stopped me from trying something new. I appreciated him often saying, “do whatever you want.” It provided me with a wonderful sense of freedom during my everyday work in the lab. He also has a good sense of humor.
Where are MOFs being used today? Are there applications that touch everyday life or industries people might recognize?
Since MOF-5 was invented in 1999, there are hundreds and thousands of MOFs being synthesized. Different structures and functionalizations enable all kinds of applications, some of which fall under the umbrella of terms that many people are familiar with such as “clean energy” and “climate control”. This takes form in nature gas and hydrogen storage as well as carbon dioxide capture. For some who live in drier climates, harvesting clean water from the air may very well become an everyday matter. MOF’s large open space is also currently being utilized for the positioning of organic and organometallic catalysts, charge storage for supercapacitors, and the binding of biological molecules such as proteins and metabolites for drug delivery.
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With the Nobel Prize spotlight now on MOFs, what areas do you think are still underexplored or full of unrealized potential?
Design of MOF materials with catalytic properties is very fascinating because MOF’s higher surface areas and open spaces make active sites more easily accessible, though unlike zeolites, those applications may be limited to relatively low temperature catalysis. Some research groups have issued lots of interesting publications in this area. It is possible that with future developments and improvements, MOF’s potential could become huge in chemical industries, not just in academia.
Beyond the technical training, what was the most valuable lesson you took from your time in Yaghi’s lab, and what advice would you give young scientists hoping to make transformative discoveries in materials science?
“Never give up” is the most important sentiment to have when you do research. It’s the nature of exploratory work to yield far more setbacks and failures than successes. Despite that, one’s exploratory spirit shouldn’t be lost. After all, without motivation, there won’t be any results. Additionally, if you are chemist, having a passion for chemistry ought to be basic requirement!
What is the most exciting project you're currently working on?
Currently, I’m working on the Emission Control catalyst project and ODHE in the Palo Alto high throughput lab, which are exciting because of the progress we’ve made. I think my experience on porous material synthesis benefits my work, such as the project for Small Pore Zeolites which I did several years ago.
What does an average day at work look like for you?
For me, working in the lab is enjoyable. There is a lot of meticulous prep work involved with designing the experiments, performing calculations, and preparing reagents. Once products are obtained, analyzing the data can be exciting, and seeing good results is especially satisfying and rewarding.
What do you like doing on weekends? How do you recharge your batteries?
Doing gardening work with my wife and the occasional fishing trip during a long weekend.
And finally: What’s a little-known fact about you?
I enjoy a good karaoke session once in a while!
Thank you very much, Hailian, for sharing insights into your groundbreaking work. Clariant is proud to have visionary minds like yours on board.
Hailian and his family at a Clariant company event at Santa Cruz, California.
Hailian enjoying this year's Clariant Palo Alto Team group lunch.
