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Roblonski: A Material-Efficient Robo-Fluidic Toolbox for Rapid Photochemical Characterization.
Azka Arshad1, Richard B Canty2, Evgeny O Danilov1
1Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8204, United States.
ACS Central Science
|March 30, 2026
Summary
A new robotic platform, Roblonski, automates key photochemical assays, reducing waste and accelerating data collection for photocatalyst characterization. This microfluidic system enhances precision and efficiency in determining quenching constants, molar extinction coefficients, and photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs).
Area of Science:
- Photochemistry and Photophysics
- Chemical Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- Accurate photochemical characterization is crucial for optimizing photocatalysis.
- Traditional methods for determining quenching constants, molar extinction coefficients, and photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) are inefficient, costly, and generate waste.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate Roblonski, a microfluidic robotic platform for automated photochemical assays.
- To demonstrate the platform's ability to precisely and accurately measure bimolecular photoreaction quenching constants, molar extinction coefficients, and PLQYs.
Main Methods:
- Development of a compact, material-efficient microfluidic robotic platform (Roblonski).
- Automation of Stern-Volmer analyses, Beer-Lambert studies, and relative PLQY determinations.
- Utilized Ru-(bpy)3(PF6)2 as a model photosensitizer and photocatalyst for validation.
Main Results:
- Roblonski achieved high precision, reproducibility, and accuracy in all tested photochemical assays.
- Experimental results from Roblonski closely matched manual measurements and literature benchmarks.
- The platform significantly reduced sample consumption (20-fold solution, 1000-fold reagent moles) and accelerated data collection (4-fold).
Conclusions:
- Roblonski offers a material-efficient, automated solution for foundational photochemical characterization.
- The platform lowers experimental barriers, enabling more comprehensive photocatalyst evaluation.
- Roblonski has the potential to accelerate autonomous discovery and characterization in photochemistry.
