Researchers from North Carolina State University developed multi-robot self-driving laboratory that autonomously discovers high-performance quantum dots. The "Rainbow Lab" can conduct and analyze up to 1,000 experiments per day without human intervention, dramatically accelerating the pace of materials discovery.
The researchers say that the robots automatically prepare chemical precursors, mix them, and execute multiple reactions in parallel using miniaturized batch reactors – up to 96 reactions at a time. The system then automatically transfers all reaction products to a characterization robot, which analyzes the outcomes. From start to finish, every step is fully automated and intelligently coordinated.
To use Rainbow, users begin by designating a target material property – such as emission wavelength or bandgap. Users also give Rainbow an experimental “budget,” providing it with how many experiments it should conduct before stopping. From there, Rainbow designs, executes and analyzes each experiment, using real-time optical characterization and machine learning to decide what to try next in its search for the ideal nanocrystal. In other words, it will autonomously determine which quantum dot synthesis recipe will most efficiently convert an energy input into the desired energy output.