Ternary materials discovery using human-in-the-loop generative machine learning

Abstract

Machine learning (ML) approaches to materials discovery are limited by data curation, availability, and bias. These issues can be addressed through the generation of new data points representing novel material compositions and/or structures. We demonstrate the implementation of this process to produce and subsequently determine the stability of novel materials using a generative ML model. Furthermore, we successfully synthesize two predicted materials, LiZn₂Pt and NiPt₂Ga, and use these predictions to extrapolate to other unreported ternary compounds in the Heusler family. Our work demonstrates and expands the use of generative ML models to successfully discover and synthesize novel materials. This has broad implications for material exploration by design, as previous ML approaches to materials discovery were biased by the limits of known phase spaces and experimentalist bias, and has the potential to enable inverse-design of materials with targeted properties.