Recent advances in autonomous synthesis of materials

Abstract

The synthesis of materials has been an important task throughout human history, and the ability to perform successful and efficient syntheses has been a factor in industrial revolutions and societal development. Recently, the rapid development of sophisticated techniques such as flow synthesis methods, artificial intelligence, information technology, and robotics, has facilitated the autonomous synthesis of chemicals with minimal effort and at little cost to the economy. This trend has influenced recent materials research and could potentially reduce the time from discovery of materials to their commercialization. In this short review, we focus on the autonomous synthesis of materials. We first discuss how autonomous synthesis could change materials research. Then, we provide some examples of autonomous syntheses in flow reactors. Finally, we present examples of autonomous syntheses using non-flow methods.