Probabilistic phase labeling and lattice refinement for autonomous materials research

Abstract X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a powerful method for determining a material’s crystal structure in high-throughput experimentation, and is widely being incorporated in artificially intelligent agents for autonomous scientific discovery. However, rapid, automated, and reliable analysis of XRD da...

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Main Authors: Ming-Chiang Chang, Sebastian Ament, Maximilian Amsler, Duncan R. Sutherland, Lan Zhou, John M. Gregoire, Carla P. Gomes, R. Bruce van Dover, Michael O. Thompson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-05-01
Series:npj Computational Materials
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41524-025-01627-0
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author Ming-Chiang Chang
Sebastian Ament
Maximilian Amsler
Duncan R. Sutherland
Lan Zhou
John M. Gregoire
Carla P. Gomes
R. Bruce van Dover
Michael O. Thompson
author_facet Ming-Chiang Chang
Sebastian Ament
Maximilian Amsler
Duncan R. Sutherland
Lan Zhou
John M. Gregoire
Carla P. Gomes
R. Bruce van Dover
Michael O. Thompson
author_sort Ming-Chiang Chang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a powerful method for determining a material’s crystal structure in high-throughput experimentation, and is widely being incorporated in artificially intelligent agents for autonomous scientific discovery. However, rapid, automated, and reliable analysis of XRD data at rates that match the pace of experimental measurements at a synchrotron source remains a major challenge. To address these issues, we developed CrystalShift for rapid and efficient probabilistic XRD phase labeling employing symmetry-constrained optimization, best-first tree search, and Bayesian model comparison. The algorithm estimates probabilities for phase combinations without requiring additional phase space information or training. We demonstrate that CrystalShift provides robust probability estimates, outperforming existing methods on synthetic and experimental datasets, and can be readily integrated into high-throughput experimental workflows. In addition to efficient phase labeling, CrystalShift offers quantitative insights into materials’ structural parameters, which facilitate both expert evaluation and AI-based modeling of the phase space, ultimately accelerating materials identification and discovery.
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record_format Article
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spelling doaj-art-34bf25da69fa420f946b00bbdf6646952025-08-20T03:08:43ZengNature Portfolionpj Computational Materials2057-39602025-05-0111111310.1038/s41524-025-01627-0Probabilistic phase labeling and lattice refinement for autonomous materials researchMing-Chiang Chang0Sebastian Ament1Maximilian Amsler2Duncan R. Sutherland3Lan Zhou4John M. Gregoire5Carla P. Gomes6R. Bruce van Dover7Michael O. Thompson8Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell UniversityDepartment of Computer Science, Cornell UniversityDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell UniversityDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell UniversityDivision of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of TechnologyDivision of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Computer Science, Cornell UniversityDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell UniversityDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell UniversityAbstract X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a powerful method for determining a material’s crystal structure in high-throughput experimentation, and is widely being incorporated in artificially intelligent agents for autonomous scientific discovery. However, rapid, automated, and reliable analysis of XRD data at rates that match the pace of experimental measurements at a synchrotron source remains a major challenge. To address these issues, we developed CrystalShift for rapid and efficient probabilistic XRD phase labeling employing symmetry-constrained optimization, best-first tree search, and Bayesian model comparison. The algorithm estimates probabilities for phase combinations without requiring additional phase space information or training. We demonstrate that CrystalShift provides robust probability estimates, outperforming existing methods on synthetic and experimental datasets, and can be readily integrated into high-throughput experimental workflows. In addition to efficient phase labeling, CrystalShift offers quantitative insights into materials’ structural parameters, which facilitate both expert evaluation and AI-based modeling of the phase space, ultimately accelerating materials identification and discovery.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41524-025-01627-0
spellingShingle Ming-Chiang Chang
Sebastian Ament
Maximilian Amsler
Duncan R. Sutherland
Lan Zhou
John M. Gregoire
Carla P. Gomes
R. Bruce van Dover
Michael O. Thompson
Probabilistic phase labeling and lattice refinement for autonomous materials research
npj Computational Materials
title Probabilistic phase labeling and lattice refinement for autonomous materials research
title_full Probabilistic phase labeling and lattice refinement for autonomous materials research
title_fullStr Probabilistic phase labeling and lattice refinement for autonomous materials research
title_full_unstemmed Probabilistic phase labeling and lattice refinement for autonomous materials research
title_short Probabilistic phase labeling and lattice refinement for autonomous materials research
title_sort probabilistic phase labeling and lattice refinement for autonomous materials research
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41524-025-01627-0
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