Explosive growth in metal–organic framework research is concentrated in China
By 
Rebecca Trager2026-04-02T14:30:00
China contributes about 59% of global MOF publications, with the US in second place and the UK towards the bottom, analysis finds
The exponential growth in research featuring metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) over the last 20 years has been markedly concentrated in China, according to a new analysis based on data in the American Chemical Society’s CAS Content Collection, formerly known as the Chemical Abstracts Service. Jeremy Krogman, lead scientist for materials at CAS, presented the data during a session of the American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting in Atlanta, Georgia on 25 March.
There were fewer than 200 publications on MOFs in 2005 and by 2025 that figure had grown to more than 20,000. Through a systematic analysis of journal articles, patent filings and substance registrations, Krogman and his team traced the progression of MOF applications from initial gas storage concepts to diverse applications spanning carbon capture, catalysis, energy storage, water harvesting, drug delivery and biosensing.