The Application of Microwave Synthesis in High Throughput Materials Research
Dr. Neil Campbell, Senior Experimental Officer, Automation and Process Development Specialist, Centre for Materials Discovery

Although microwave reactors have now become well established in the acceleration of small molecule chemistry, they are still significantly underutilised in the areas of materials research. At the Centre for Materials Discovery (CMD) microwaves reactors are being used to conduct high throughput materials synthesis for a number of applications. With the use of cutting edge automated workstations reaction samples can be rapidly prepared, synthesized and purified. Also when used in conjunction with high throughput analytical techniques and experimental design software it enables the high-speed discovery of new materials, optimisation of reactions and the quick exploration of large experimental space previously not possible using traditional techniques.