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Artificial intelligence as a driver of sustainable materials and circularity

Nature Reviews Materials (2026)Cite this article

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Artificial intelligence is transforming materials research, yet its potential for sustainability remains underexploited. Artificial intelligence can enable circular materials systems by integrating materials performance, life-cycle assessment and sustainability metrics across design, use and recycling, accelerating the transition from linear innovation to closed-loop materials economies.

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Fig. 1: Artificial intelligence as the orchestrator of circular materials systems.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge financial support from the New Generation Artificial Intelligence-National Science and Technology Major Project (2025ZD0122605), the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (52325401), MOHRSS National Foreign Experts Individual Grant Program (H20240048) and CHN Energy Europe Research GmbH during the plasma-based technologies for recycling of waste polymers industrial project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Clean-and-Low-Carbon Energy, Beijing, China

    Ning Han  (韩宁), Bingqi Zhang  (张冰琦) & Guoxing Chen  (陈国星)

  2. School of New Energy and Materials, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, China

    Heng Guo  (郭恒), Zeai Huang  (黄泽皑) & Ying Zhou  (周莹)

  3. Department of Materials and Earth Sciences, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany

    Anke Weidenkaff & Guoxing Chen  (陈国星)

Authors
  1. Ning Han  (韩宁)
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  2. Heng Guo  (郭恒)
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  3. Bingqi Zhang  (张冰琦)
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  4. Zeai Huang  (黄泽皑)
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  5. Ying Zhou  (周莹)
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  6. Anke Weidenkaff
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  7. Guoxing Chen  (陈国星)
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Ying Zhou  (周莹) or Guoxing Chen  (陈国星).

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Han, N., Guo, H., Zhang, B. et al. Artificial intelligence as a driver of sustainable materials and circularity. Nat Rev Mater (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-026-00912-8

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