Automated Materials Discovery Platform Realized: Scanning Probe Microscopy of Combinatorial Libraries

These libraries typically contain binary or ternary isothermal cross-sections of multicomponent phase diagrams, and more advanced synthesis methods can generate spatially encoded 4D and 5D compositional spaces [1]. This versatility makes them well-suited for both optimizing materials through direct exploration of compositional spaces and advancing physics discovery by exploring property and microstructure evolution [2-10]. Additionally, temperature gradients during synthesis can help reveal the effects of synthesis variables, while localized ion-or laser-based annealing enables broader exploration of the processing and chemical spaces within the selected material systems [8, 11, 12]. The first experiments in combinatorial research date back to the 1960s [13, 14], with renewed interest in the 1990s following the discovery of high-temperature superconductors [3, 4, 11, 15-17]. However, it quickly became apparent that successful combinatorial research requires not only synthesis but also detailed characterization, along with the ability to derive insights from characterization results and use these for subsequent experiment planning or transition towards different fabrication routes.