There are so many (10^50) possible combinations of the elements typically used in alloys, including nickel, iron, cobalt and copper, that it would be nearly impossible to wade through them all using trial and error.

Zoom in: In a new study, researchers combined machine learning, theories and calculations of physical properties and experiments to identify new alloys.

They're also using AI models to remove noise in the data generated in experiments or direct microscopes to areas of interest, cutting the time researchers can spend on them.

But as some laboratory tasks are automated and AI is integrated in the analysis of scientific data, materials scientists and chemists are using machine learning and other tools to perform computations and simulations that can point them to candidates for new catalysts, polymers and other materials with unique properties.What's happening: It can take decades to get a new material to market in a process that involves an almost 'artisanal science,' Isayev says.

led the world in publications in the field two decades ago, but China now holds the top position in materials science research by this measure. The U.S., China, EU and Japan have ongoing initiatives to spur the development of materials by building libraries of compounds that can be tested and potentially developed into new materials.'Ultimately, this new technology drives the next revolution, maybe the next major scientific revolution,' says Olexander Isayev, a professor of chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University.The big picture: New materials and molecules are needed for the batteries, drugs and semiconductors envisioned to underpin a green grid, precise medicine, and the next generation of computing and communications. Why it matters: There's pressure on these fields to produce new materials faster and cheaper to support and power technologies that could transform industries and economies. AI and automation are speeding up science and chemistry by helping scientists pick which experiments to conduct and home in on promising new materials.

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