Autoammonia: A Decentralized Self Driving Platform for Catalyst-Electrolyte Co-Optimization in Nitrate-to-Ammonia Reduction
Adrián Pinilla-Sánchez a, Han Hao b c d, Shi Xuan Leong c j, Yang Cao b c d, Sergio Pablo-García b c d, Alán Aspuru-Guzik b c d e f g h i, F. Pelayo García de Arquer a
a ICFO - Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels (Barcelona) 08860, Spain
b Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Sandford Fleming Building, 10 King's College Road, ON M5S 3G4, Toronto, Canada.
c Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Lash Miller Chemical Laboratories, 80 St. George Street, ON M5S 3H6, Toronto, Canada
d Acceleration Consortium, 80 St George St, M5S 3H6, Toronto, Canada
e Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, 661 University Ave. Suite 710, ON M5G 1M1, Toronto, Canada
f Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Toronto, 184 College St., M5S 3E4, Toronto, Canada
g Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College St., ON M5S 3E5, Toronto, Canada
h Lebovic Fellow, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), 661 University Ave., M5G 1M1, Toronto, Canada
i NVIDIA, 431 King St W #6th, M5V 1K4, Toronto, Canada
j School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
Proceedings of MATSUS Spring 2026 Conference (MATSUSSpring26)
I4 Digital Discovery: From Energy Materials to Devices
Barcelona, Spain, 2026 March 23rd - 27th
Organizers: Shoichi Matsuda and Magda Titirici
Oral, Adrián Pinilla-Sánchez, presentation 624
Publication date: 15th December 2025

Controlling the solid-liquid interface and understanding catalyst-electrolyte interactions are central challenges for the rational design of electrocatalysts, particularly for the nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) to ammonia under realistic wastewater conditions where diverse coexisting ions strongly impact activity and stability. In this work, a decentralized self‑driving laboratory (SDL) is established between the University of Toronto and ICFO to autonomously explore the combined space of catalyst and electrolyte compositions for NO3RR. The platform integrates in situ catalyst fabrication with programmable compositional gradients, high‑throughput electrochemical screening in electrolytes of controlled multi‑ion composition, and automated analysis of nitrate‑to‑ammonia performance. A Bayesian optimization engine closes the loop by iteratively proposing new catalyst formulations conditioned on the specific electrolyte matrix, enabling the system to self‑optimize catalyst composition for a given wastewater‑relevant environment. This approach provides a general framework to disentangle and exploit catalyst-electrolyte interactions, enabling accelerated optimization of both catalyst composition and electrolyte formulation, and supporting decentralized strategies for electrocatalyst development that can be extended to other electrolyteengineered systems.

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