# Fully automated and high-fidelity robotic platform enabling accelerated discovery of nanocatalysts

## TL;DR

A robotic platform enables fast and precise screening of nanocatalysts, improving the discovery process with high-quality data.

## Contribution

A fully automated robotic system for nanocatalyst screening that maintains high fidelity while increasing speed.

## Key findings

- The platform achieved an average throughput of ∼10 min per sample with high reproducibility (≈2% RSD).
- Subtle kinetic differences in catalysts containing Fe, Cu, Zn, and Sn were detected.
- Structure–activity relationships were revealed by correlating experiments with DFT-derived descriptors.

## Abstract

The discovery of heterogeneous catalysts increasingly relies on high-throughput experimentation and high-fidelity data. Here, we report a fully automated robotic platform that integrates two synchronized collaborative robotic arms, automated liquid handling, and time-resolved UV-Vis kinetic analysis for the rapid, reproducible, and data-rich evaluation of nanocatalysts. Unlike existing high-throughput systems, which often compromise data quality, our platform combines parallel reaction execution with real-time processing of time-resolved measurements and automated performance ranking, thereby delivering both speed and precision. Using the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol as a benchmark, we screened 24 Pd-based catalysts including 22 metal-added Pd/AC variants, and completed 96 measurements in 16 h 40 min achieving an average throughput of ∼10 min per sample. The system achieved high reproducibility, with relative standard deviations of approximately 2%, and detected subtle kinetic differences such as the enhanced activity of catalysts containing Fe, Cu, Zn, and Sn. Correlating experimental performance with density functional theory (DFT)-derived descriptors revealed structure–activity relationships and highlighted nanoscale effects not captured by bulk calculations.

A fully automated robotic platform integrates sample preparation, time-resolved UV-Vis monitoring, and real-time data processing for high-throughput, high-fidelity screening of Pd-based nanocatalysts in 4-nitrophenol reduction.