Multiscale and multimodal
imaging of material structures and properties
provides solid ground on which materials theory and design can flourish.
Recently, KAIST announced 10 flagship research fields, which include
KAIST Materials Revolution: Materials and Molecular Modeling, Imaging,
Informatics and Integration (M3I3). The M3I3 initiative aims to reduce
the time for the discovery, design and development of materials based
on elucidating multiscale processing–structure–property
relationship and materials hierarchy, which are to be quantified and
understood through a combination of machine learning and scientific
insights. In this review, we begin by introducing recent progress
on related initiatives around the globe, such as the Materials Genome
Initiative (U.S.), Materials Informatics (U.S.), the Materials Project
(U.S.), the Open Quantum Materials Database (U.S.), Materials Research
by Information Integration Initiative (Japan), Novel Materials Discovery
(E.U.), the NOMAD repository (E.U.), Materials Scientific Data Sharing
Network (China), Vom Materials Zur Innovation (Germany), and Creative
Materials Discovery (Korea), and discuss the role of multiscale materials
and molecular imaging combined with machine learning in realizing
the vision of M3I3. Specifically, microscopies using photons, electrons,
and physical probes will be revisited with a focus on the multiscale
structural hierarchy, as well as structure–property relationships.
Additionally, data mining from the literature combined with machine
learning will be shown to be more efficient in finding the future
direction of materials structures with improved properties than the
classical approach. Examples of materials for applications in energy
and information will be reviewed and discussed. A case study on the
development of a Ni–Co–Mn cathode materials illustrates
M3I3’s approach to creating libraries of multiscale structure–property–processing
relationships. We end with a future outlook toward recent developments
in the field of M3I3.