Controlling composition, structure, and thus properties of nanomaterials continues to be of importance to numerous fields, with potential and realized applications for colloidal nanomaterials ranging from quantum dots for displays and biological imaging, to nanoparticles for (electro-) catalytic conversions. The vastness of synthesis parameter space, in combination with limited understanding of the nucleation and growth mechanisms for many nanomaterials, still hampers progress in identifying nanomaterials with desired properties for existing and newly envisioned purposes. Furthermore, challenges in automation of characterization, especially structural characterization, hamper the development of rapid, full-circle workflows. This presentation will highlight our efforts to integrate automated flow and batch reactors for nanomaterial synthesis with inline purification methods that feed into high throughput automated, and at times autonomous, characterization of the products via optical and electron microscopy methods.
