Do AI-driven chemistry labs actually work?

New metrics promise answers

20-Feb-2024 - The fields of chemistry and materials science are seeing a surge of interest in “self-driving labs,” which make use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated systems to expedite research and discovery. Researchers are now proposing a suite of definitions and performance metrics that will ...

Birnessite study offers insights for electrochemistry, energy storage

06-Aug-2021 - The adsorption of ions from the electrolyte at an electrode surface is a ubiquitous process, of use for both existing and emerging electrochemical energy technologies. But what happens when these ions penetrate very small spaces? To address this question, researchers at NC State re-examined the ...

Virtual lab finds the right AI tool for each chemistry problem

"Autonomous systems have tremendous potential for accelerating chemical R&D and manufacturing"

24-Mar-2021 - Having the right tool for the job makes the job a lot easier, less expensive and faster. Chemical engineering researchers have now developed a virtual laboratory that can be used to determine the artificial intelligence (AI) tools best suited for addressing various chemical synthesis challenges ...

Fish-inspired material changes color using nanocolumns

22-Mar-2019 - Inspired by the flashing colors of the neon tetra fish, researchers have developed a technique for changing the color of a material by manipulating the orientation of nanostructured columns in the material. "Neon tetras can control their brightly colored stripes by changing the angle of tiny ...

Using gold nanoparticles to trigger sequential unfolding of 3D structures

21-Jun-2018 - Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique that takes advantage of gold nanoparticles to trigger the sequential unfolding of three-dimensional structures using different wavelengths of light. Specifically, the technique makes use of the fact that different ...

ChemMaps lets researchers navigate the chemical universe

06-Jun-2018 - Researchers from North Carolina State University have created a new online service - ChemMaps - that allows users to interactively navigate the chemical space of over 8,000 drugs and 47,000 environmental compounds in 3D and real time. ChemMaps is designed to be a central resource for students and ...

Atomic structure of ultrasound material not what anyone expected

23-Feb-2018 - Lead magnesium niobate (PMN) is a prototypical "relaxor" material, used in a wide variety of applications, from ultrasound to sonar. Researchers have now used state-of-the-art microscopy techniques to see exactly how atoms are arranged in PMN - and it's not what anyone expected. "This work gives ...

A simpler way to deposit magnetic iron oxide onto gold nanorods

14-Dec-2017 - Researchers from North Carolina State University and MIT have found a simpler way to deposit magnetic iron oxide (magnetite) nanoparticles onto silica-coated gold nanorods, creating multifunctional nanoparticles with useful magnetic and optical properties. Gold nanorods have widespread potential ...

New technique for creating NV-doped nanodiamonds may be boost for quantum computing

07-Nov-2016 - Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a new technique for creating NV-doped single-crystal nanodiamonds, only four to eight nanometers wide, which could serve as components in room-temperature quantum computing technologies. These doped nanodiamonds also hold promise for ...

Researchers develop faster, precise silica coating process for quantum dot nanorods

13-Jul-2016 - Materials researchers at North Carolina State University have fine-tuned a technique that enables them to apply precisely controlled silica coatings to quantum dot nanorods in a day - up to 21 times faster than previous methods. In addition to saving time, the advance means the quantum dots are ...