Researchers use AI to plot green route to nylon

The chemical and allied industries face such challenges as ready access to reliable energy supplies, waste reduction, water conservation, and energy efficiency. Organic electrosynthesis--an electricity-driven, energy-efficient process that can easily integrate with renewable energy sources--could help solve them. A team at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering reported that in its search to develop an innovative, environmentally friendly process to make adiponitrile (ADN) - the main precursor to nylon 6, 6--it found a way to greatly improve the efficiency of organic electrosynthesis. The researchers credited their success in part to what they believe is the first use of artificial intelligence to optimize an electrochemical process. Miguel Modestino, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and doctoral student Daniela Blanco tweaked how electrical current is delivered to catalytic electrodes and then applied artificial intelligence (AI) to further optimize the reaction.