Researchers have created a robot capable of conducting experiments more efficiently and sustainably to develop a range of new semiconductor materials with desirable attributes. The researchers have already demonstrated that the new technology, called RoboMapper, can rapidly identify new perovskite materials with improved stability and solar cell efficiency.
“RoboMapper allows us to conduct materials testing more quickly, while also reducing both cost and energy overhead – making the entire process more sustainable,” says Aram Amassian, corresponding author of a paper on the work and a professor of materials science and engineering at North Carolina State University.
Conventional materials research requires a researcher to prepare a sample and then go through multiple steps to test each sample using different instruments. This involves placing, aligning and calibrating samples as needed to collect the data. Think of it as an assembly line that is both time consuming and requires a lot of electricity to power the relevant instruments.
Read more at North Carolina State University
Image by Erik Stein from Pixabay