Accelerating MOF Discovery and Carbon Capture
The 9th International Conference on Metal-Organic Frameworks and Open Framework Compounds, or MOF2024 for short, was a remarkable event that showcased the latest in MOF research. As a co-founder of Aixelo and principal investigator in the DACStorE project, I found the biggest topics to be the accelerated discovery of MOFs using computational screening and AI, alongside the dominant application of carbon capture.
Here are some takeaways from my attendance at the mid-July conference in Singapore:
Highlight Presentation: Susana Garcia's Keynote
One of the most inspiring moments was the final-day keynote presentation by Susana Garcia of Heriot-Watt University. Discussing her team’s recent paper, “A holistic platform for accelerating sorbent-based carbon capture,” the talk seamlessly combined the two crucial topics of accelerated MOF discovery and carbon capture.
My key thoughts on the presentation centered on: 1) the comprehensive approach to research, and 2) scaling collaborative efforts:
- Susana’s holistic approach to addressing research questions – considering the big picture and multiple aspects – resonated deeply with me. It emphasized the importance of avoiding research dead- While her approach was impressive, I believe incorporating AI into the synthesis phase, not just the discovery phase, further enhances the research process.
- The involvement of over 20 scientists from leading MOF research groups in Susana’s project highlights the potential of collaborative efforts. This raises the question of how we can scale such an approach to benefit the entire research community. This very question drives the mission behind Aixelo.
At Aixelo, our goal is to democratize the access to accelerated discovery of materials for clean energy and sustainability. We aim to provide a professionally managed AI pipeline for materials discovery that is not only easy to use but offers maximum benefits to experimental researchers in the lab. By making advanced computational tools accessible to the broader research community, we can foster innovation and efficiency in materials science.
MOF2024 was a testament to the incredible progress being made in MOF research and the potential for future advancements through collaboration and technology integration. Like all of us with a passion for this area of science, I look forward to continuing this journey and contributing to the transformative impact of AI in MOF discovery and application.
