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This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry celebrates a class of materials known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which have challenged how scientists think about structure and function. At their heart, MOFs are built by combining metal ions with organic molecules to form highly porous, crystalline networks. What’s particularly interesting is the almost limitless number of structures that can be created – researchers can design the organic component to have tailored features, and choose from almost any metal.

Far from being just a chemical curiosity, these materials are incredibly useful. Their porous nature means that MOFs contain large internal surface areas, which can be harnessed for a wide range of applications. Since the pioneering work of this year’s Nobel laureates, MOFs have been explored for capturing toxic gases, harvesting water from desert air, storing energy, and even delivering medicines within the human body.

MOFs also represent a truly interdisciplinary area of science, bridging chemistry with engineering, medicine, environmental science and more. This Nobel Prize celebrates the kind of research that not only pushes boundaries, but also helps tackle global challenges.

Expert Insight provided by Dr Chris Marsh.

1. Marsh, C., et al., Binding of carbon dioxide and acetylene to free carboxylic acid sites in a metal–organic framework. Chem. Sci. 2024, 15, 8197. doi: 10.1039/D4SC00101J
2. Chen, J., Mei, Q., Chen, Y., Marsh, C., An, B., Han, X., Silverwood, I. P., Li, M., Cheng, Y., He, M., Chen, X., Li, W., Kippax-Jones, M., Crawshaw, D., Frogley, M. D., Day, S. J., García-Sakai, V., Manuel, P., Ramirez-Cuesta, A. J., Yang, S., Schroeder, M. Highly Efficient Proton Conduction in the Metal-Organic Framework Material MFM-300(Cr)•SO4(H3O)2. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2022, 144, 11969-11974. doi: 10.1021/jacs.2c04900
3. Marsh, C., et al., Exceptional Packing Density of Ammonia in a Dual-Functionalized Metal-Organic Framework. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2021, 143, 6586-6592. doi: 10.1021/jacs.1c01749
4. Marsh, C., et al., Supramolecular aspects of biomolecule interactions in metal-organic frameworks. Coordination Chemistry Reviews 2021, 439. doi:  10.1016/j.ccr.2021.213928

Electrochemists reunite at the University of Leicester for first Midlands Electrochemistry Group meeting in six years

On Tuesday 17 June 2025, the University of Leicester proudly hosted the first Midlands Electrochemistry Group (MEG) meeting since 2019, bringing together over 75 researchers from across the region for a packed day of cutting-edge science, collaboration, and community building.

The event was organised and hosted by Dr Molly Keal (Centre for Sustainable Materials Processing), who played a key role in reviving this important regional network. Reflecting on the day, Dr Keal said: “It was fantastic to see so many early-career electrochemists sharing their latest research and forging new connections across the Midlands. The buzz throughout the day really highlighted how much this community values opportunities to come together and exchange ideas.”

Delegates were treated to two inspiring plenary talks: Dr Emma Smith (Nottingham Trent University) gave an engaging overview of neutron reflectivity in electrochemical systems, while Dr Andy Wain (National Physical Laboratory) showcased advanced in-situ vibrational spectroscopy techniques for energy materials. The day also featured a wide range of presentations exploring electrodeposition in ionic media, advanced characterisation, energy storage, electrocatalysis, and sensor development highlighting the depth and diversity of electrochemistry research in the region.

The event would not have been possible without the generous support of sponsors: Alvatek, Metrohm, BioLogic, International Society of Electrochemistry, and Veolia. Special thanks also go to brilliant organising committee: Hannah Hilton-Tapp, Dr Jenny Hartley, Dr Chris Elgar, Dr Sean Scott, and Dr Deepa Oberoi who helped bring the day together.

Professor Karl Ryder commented: “The meeting successfully reinvigorated a long-standing tradition of Midlands meetings and set the gold standard for any future incumbents so that they can follow in our footsteps.”

Here’s to the next MEG!

The Centre for Sustainable Material Processing in the School of Chemistry has been a driving force in advancing electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling as part of the Faraday Institution’s flagship ReLiB (Reuse and Recycling of Lithium Ion Batteries) project since 2018.

Collaborating with leading UK institutions - including Birmingham, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Oxford, and Imperial College - the Leicester team has played a pivotal role in developing safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible technologies to recover critical materials from end-of-life (EoL) batteries. This national partnership was recognised with the Royal Society of Chemistry Horizon Prize in 2024 for its outstanding impact.

Through cutting-edge research, high-impact publications, and contributions to national and international policy, Leicester’s work in ReLiB continues to shape the future of battery recycling worldwide. The Centre’s efforts are focused on streamlining the remanufacturing process by minimising the steps required to transform spent battery components into high-performance materials for new cells.

The team has accelerated the development of scalable, cost-effective solutions for delamination, selective leaching, component regeneration and black mass valorisation - establishing industrially viable methods to maximise material recovery. A key breakthrough has been the upcycling of degraded cathode materials into higher energy-density versions, along with the recovery of previously unrecyclable components such as PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) binders.

Together, these innovations demonstrate Leicester’s vision, research excellence and leadership in building a more sustainable, circular economy for sustainable technologies.

ChemComm, one of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Flagship journals is celebrating 60 years of publications and has an online collection highlighting 60 pioneering historic papers.

We are delighted that two seminal pieces of research by Professor Andy Abbott and co-workers has been included in this collection as one of the most influential scientific contributions of the last 60 years. The first paper, Preparation of novel, moisture-stable, Lewis-acidic ionic liquids containing quaternary ammonium salts with functional side chains, describes the properties of a range of novel molten salts. Meanwhile, Novel solvent properties of choline chloride/urea mixtures reports the first example of a deep eutectic solvent, a special class of ionic liquid discovered here in Leicester. This discovery resulted in establishment of a new field of research that has spawned over 63,000 papers!

The now famous “two solids make a liquid” concept has found application in natural product extraction, pharmaceutical formulation, metal plating, electropolishing, metal extraction, and catalysis to name just a few.

Congratulations Andy and your team!