NICKEFFECT Project Showcases at AI4AM 2024

The NICKEFFECT project participated in the Artificial Intelligence for Advanced Materials Conference (AI4AM 2024), held from July 2nd to 4th in the city of Barcelona, Spain. This cross-disciplinary international event brought together top experts from industry and research institutions who utilise Artificial Intelligence (AI) to advance discoveries in materials science. The conference’s main goal is to refine automated designs for both structural and electronic material models in engineering, focusing on improving interoperability among material databases and enabling reverse material engineering.

 

Konrad Eiler, from NICKEFFECT’s project partner Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, did a presentation on the active learning approach used to accelerate experiments as part of the project. Konrad gave some insights on the practical benefits of the Active Learning methodology in guiding experimentalists to find the best conditions for growing Ni-W films for catalysis.

 

 

Active Learning in Materials Science

 

Konrad’s presentation highlighted how AI, particularly Active Learning, significantly aids experimentalists in determining optimal experimental conditions. The NICKEFFECT project leverages AI to streamline and expedite the experimental process, enabling researchers to achieve optimal solutions more efficiently. Konrad emphasised that the use of AI reduces the extensive effort typically required in purely experimental studies, which would otherwise involve numerous characterisation techniques to understand the effects of each input parameter.

 

Konrad noted the positive reception and the value of presenting the experimentalist’s perspective. “The presentation went very well! It was interesting for the audience to hear some thoughts from someone on the experimental side,” he remarked. His insights provided a comprehensive view of how AI tools are transforming experimental methodologies in materials science.

 

NICKEFFECT’s Impact on Catalysis Research

 

The NICKEFFECT project aims to revolutionise the development of Ni-W films for catalysis by integrating AI-driven techniques with traditional experimental approaches. By presenting its Active Learning methodology at AI4AM 2024, NICKEFFECT has showcased its commitment to advancing materials science through innovative applications of Artificial Intelligence.