Machine-Learning Rationalization and Prediction of Solid-State Synthesis Conditions

There currently exist no quantitative methods to determine the appropriate conditions for solid-state synthesis. This not only hinders the experimental realization of novel materials but also complicates the interpretation and understanding of solid-state reaction mechanisms. Here, we demonstrate a machine-learning approach that predicts synthesis conditions using large solid-state synthesis data sets text-mined from scientific journal articles. Using feature importance ranking analysis, we discovered that optimal heating temperatures have strong correlations with the stability of precursor materials quantified using melting points and formation energies (ΔG_f, ΔH_f). In contrast, features derived from the thermodynamics of synthesis-related reactions did not directly correlate to the chosen heating temperatures. This correlation between optimal solid-state heating temperature and precursor stability extends Tamman's rule from intermetallics to oxide systems, suggesting the importance of reaction kinetics in determining synthesis conditions. Heating times are shown to be strongly correlated with the chosen experimental procedures and instrument setups, which may be indicative of human bias in the data set. Using these predictive features, we constructed machine-learning models with good performance and general applicability to predict the conditions required to synthesize diverse chemical systems.