Argonne National Laboratory

Accelerated Discovery Laboratory

ADL
Argonne’s Accelerated Discovery Laboratory (ADL) utilizes highly automated and parallel approaches for applying high-throughput and combinatorial experimental methodologies to accelerate the development of new materials.
Argonne staff chemist Magali Ferrandon prepares catalyst samples for testing and evaluation using a robotic platform for high-throughput synthesis of new materials.

Argonne’s ADL allows scientists to synthesize and screen large numbers of compounds, as well as optimize reaction or process conditions much more rapidly than possible with conventional approaches. This ultimately reduces the time and cost involved in materials development and optimization.

Researchers working at the ADL have a wide range of expertise in catalysis, fuel cells, energy storage, photosynthesis, separations, and materials science.

The ADL maintains a spectrum of capabilities and equipment for evaluating and optimizing material performance, including

  • robotic systems for synthesizing air- and non-air sensitive materials,
  • parallel reactor systems for performance evaluation such as liquid batch and fixed-bed plug-flow reactor systems, and
  • a wide range of analytical techniques for materials characterization such as gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, dynamic light scattering analysis, X-ray diffraction, and cyclic voltammetry.

The ADL is a capability within Argonne’s Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division and is available as a resource both within Argonne and to collaborators from outside organizations.