Automated Centrifugal Planetary Mixer

The National Research Council (NRC) of Canada is developing self-driving laboratories (SDL) for materials discovery, specifically targeting energy applications such as the discovery of alkali-ion battery components. For battery applications, the homogeneity of the slurry used in electrode preparation is a critical factor in achieving high mechanical stability, as well as optimal mass transport properties. Therefore, an effective slurry mixer is essential for producing electrodes with these optimal properties. To achieve this, the NRC requires an automated centrifugal planetary mixer capable of handling a wide range of volumes, from a few grams to several hundred grams. The mixer should also come with multiple holders and adaptors to securely accommodate containers of various sizes. The mixer should be capable of high-throughput batch preparation through unattended operation. Data generated by its software should be accessible by external software interfaces, allowing users to access the data via e.g., python scripts to populate centralized databases.