Delocalized, asynchronous, closed-loop discovery of organic laser emitters.
Felix Strieth-KalthoffHan HaoVandana RathoreJoshua DeraspThéophile GaudinNicholas H AngelloMartin SeifridEkaterina TrushinaMason GuyJunliang LiuXun TangMasashi MamadaWesley WangTuul TsagaantsoojCyrille LavigneRobert PolliceTony C WuKazuhiro HottaLeticia BodoShangyu LiMohammad HaddadniaAgnieszka WołosRafał RoszakCher Tian SerCarlota Bozal-GinestaRiley J HickmanJenya VestfridAndrés Aguilar-GrandaElena L KlimarevaRalph C SigersonWenduan HouDaniel GahlerSlawomir LachAdrian WarzybokOleg BorodinSimon RohrbachBenjamín Sánchez-LengelingChihaya AdachiBartosz A GrzybowskiLeroy CroninJason E HeinMartin D BurkeAlán Aspuru-GuzikPublished in: Science (New York, N.Y.) (2024)
Contemporary materials discovery requires intricate sequences of synthesis, formulation, and characterization that often span multiple locations with specialized expertise or instrumentation. To accelerate these workflows, we present a cloud-based strategy that enabled delocalized and asynchronous design-make-test-analyze cycles. We showcased this approach through the exploration of molecular gain materials for organic solid-state lasers as a frontier application in molecular optoelectronics. Distributed robotic synthesis and in-line property characterization, orchestrated by a cloud-based artificial intelligence experiment planner, resulted in the discovery of 21 new state-of-the-art materials. Gram-scale synthesis ultimately allowed for the verification of best-in-class stimulated emission in a thin-film device. Demonstrating the asynchronous integration of five laboratories across the globe, this workflow provides a blueprint for delocalizing-and democratizing-scientific discovery.