Inverse design of metal-organic frameworks using deep dreaming approaches

Abstract Exploring the expansive and largely untapped chemical space of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) holds promise for revolutionising the field of materials science. MOFs, hailed for their modular architecture, offer unmatched flexibility in customising functionalities to meet specific applicati...

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Main Authors: Conor Cleeton, Lev Sarkisov
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-05-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59952-3
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author Conor Cleeton
Lev Sarkisov
author_facet Conor Cleeton
Lev Sarkisov
author_sort Conor Cleeton
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Exploring the expansive and largely untapped chemical space of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) holds promise for revolutionising the field of materials science. MOFs, hailed for their modular architecture, offer unmatched flexibility in customising functionalities to meet specific application needs. However, navigating this chemical space to identify optimal MOF structures poses a significant challenge. Traditional high-throughput computational screening (HTCS), while useful, is often limited by a distribution bias towards materials not aligned with the desired functionalities. To overcome these limitations, this study adopts a “deep dreaming” methodology to optimise MOFs in silico, aiming to generate structures with systematically shifted properties that are closer to target functionalities from the outset. Our approach integrates property prediction and structure optimisation within a single interpretable framework, leveraging a specialised chemical language model augmented with attention mechanisms. Focusing on a curated set of MOF properties critical to applications like carbon capture and energy storage, we demonstrate how deep dreaming can be utilised as a tool for targeted material design.
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spelling doaj-art-1e313a60d1d04e86a17b66a64fdf3b972025-08-20T02:29:51ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-05-0116111410.1038/s41467-025-59952-3Inverse design of metal-organic frameworks using deep dreaming approachesConor Cleeton0Lev Sarkisov1Department of Chemical Engineering, University of ManchesterDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of ManchesterAbstract Exploring the expansive and largely untapped chemical space of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) holds promise for revolutionising the field of materials science. MOFs, hailed for their modular architecture, offer unmatched flexibility in customising functionalities to meet specific application needs. However, navigating this chemical space to identify optimal MOF structures poses a significant challenge. Traditional high-throughput computational screening (HTCS), while useful, is often limited by a distribution bias towards materials not aligned with the desired functionalities. To overcome these limitations, this study adopts a “deep dreaming” methodology to optimise MOFs in silico, aiming to generate structures with systematically shifted properties that are closer to target functionalities from the outset. Our approach integrates property prediction and structure optimisation within a single interpretable framework, leveraging a specialised chemical language model augmented with attention mechanisms. Focusing on a curated set of MOF properties critical to applications like carbon capture and energy storage, we demonstrate how deep dreaming can be utilised as a tool for targeted material design.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59952-3
spellingShingle Conor Cleeton
Lev Sarkisov
Inverse design of metal-organic frameworks using deep dreaming approaches
Nature Communications
title Inverse design of metal-organic frameworks using deep dreaming approaches
title_full Inverse design of metal-organic frameworks using deep dreaming approaches
title_fullStr Inverse design of metal-organic frameworks using deep dreaming approaches
title_full_unstemmed Inverse design of metal-organic frameworks using deep dreaming approaches
title_short Inverse design of metal-organic frameworks using deep dreaming approaches
title_sort inverse design of metal organic frameworks using deep dreaming approaches
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59952-3
work_keys_str_mv AT conorcleeton inversedesignofmetalorganicframeworksusingdeepdreamingapproaches
AT levsarkisov inversedesignofmetalorganicframeworksusingdeepdreamingapproaches