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arXiv · 2605.00313

Beyond Structure: Revolutionising Materials Discovery via AI-Driven Synthesis Protocol-Property Relationships

Guillaume Lambard
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Abstract

The current structure-centric paradigm in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven materials discovery, despite delivering thousands of candidate structures, is stalling at a critical barrier: the synthesizability gap. We argue that closing this gap demands a pivot to a synthesis-first paradigm in which executable synthesis protocols, not just atomic configurations, are treated as primary design variables. We outline a roadmap built on three pillars: (i) representing synthesis procedures as machine-readable protocols, (ii) deploying generative and inverse-design models to propose actionable reaction pathways and recipes, and (iii) integrating closed-loop optimisation to refine protocols against experimental realities and sustainability constraints. Framed in terms of the causal backbone P->X->y from protocol P to structure X and properties y, this perspective sets out methodological building blocks, standards needs and self-driving laboratory (SDL) integration strategies to accelerate reproducible, data-first materials discovery.

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Guillaume Lambard. 2026-05-01. Beyond Structure: Revolutionising Materials Discovery via AI-Driven Synthesis Protocol-Property Relationships. https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.00313

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