Scientists Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M. Yaghi received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for pioneering a new type of molecular construction.

Kitagawa serves as a professor at Kyoto University in Japan, Robson is a professor at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Yaghi is affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley, in the United States.

“By developing metal-organic frameworks, the laureates have given chemists new avenues for addressing some of the problems we encounter,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences stated.

The trio created molecular constructions that can be used to harvest water from desert air and capture carbon dioxide, the academy said.

“They have discovered ways to design materials, completely new materials, with vast internal cavities comparable to rooms in a hotel, allowing guest molecules to enter and exit from the same material,” explained Heiner Linke, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.

“A tiny quantity of such material can be akin to Hermione’s handbag in Harry Potter. It can accommodate vast amounts of gas in a very small space,” he commented.