用生成+优化框架高效设计多目标分子,快速发现高性能电池材料。
Generative Multi-Objective Bayesian Optimization with Scalable Batch Evaluations for Sample-Efficient De Novo Molecular Design
- 先生成大量候选分子,再用新算法批量筛选最优解
- 在能源存储任务中快速找到多样且性能优异的醌类材料
- 适合需要高效探索化学空间的研究者使用
设计需满足多个常冲突目标的分子是分子发现的核心挑战。化学空间巨大且高保真模拟成本高昂,推动了机器学习引导的少样本设计策略发展。贝叶斯优化(BO)提供了样本高效的搜索框架,而生成模型则可提出超越固定库的新颖、多样化候选分子。然而,现有耦合方法多依赖连续隐空间,带来架构纠缠与可扩展性问题。本文提出一种模块化的“生成-再优化”框架,用于从头分子设计。每轮迭代中,生成模型构建一个大规模、多样化的候选分子池,随后采用新型采集函数qPMHI(多点最大超体积改进概率),以最优方式选择最可能显著扩展帕累托前沿的分子批次。关键洞察在于,qPMHI可分解为加性形式,通过简单排序概率即可实现精确、可扩展的批量选择,且可通过蒙特卡洛采样高效估计。我们在合成基准和应用驱动任务中对比了当前最先进的隐空间与离散分子优化方法,结果表明显著提升。特别地,在可持续能源存储案例研究中,该方法快速发现了新颖、多样且高性能的水系氧化还原流电池用有机醌类正极材料。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Designing molecules that must satisfy multiple, often conflicting objectives is a central challenge in molecular discovery. The enormous size of chemical space and the cost of high-fidelity simulations have driven the development of machine learning-guided strategies for accelerating design with limited data. Among these, Bayesian optimization (BO) offers a principled framework for sample-efficient search, while generative models provide a mechanism to propose novel, diverse candidates beyond fixed libraries. However, existing methods that couple the two often rely on continuous latent spaces, which introduces both architectural entanglement and scalability challenges. This work introduces an alternative, modular "generate-then-optimize" framework for de novo multi-objective molecular design/discovery. At each iteration, a generative model is used to construct a large, diverse pool of candidate molecules, after which a novel acquisition function, qPMHI (multi-point Probability of Maximum Hypervolume Improvement), is used to optimally select a batch of candidates most likely to induce the largest Pareto front expansion. The key insight is that qPMHI decomposes additively, enabling exact, scalable batch selection via only simple ranking of probabilities that can be easily estimated with Monte Carlo sampling. We benchmark the framework against state-of-the-art latent-space and discrete molecular optimization methods, demonstrating significant improvements across synthetic benchmarks and application-driven tasks. Specifically, in a case study related to sustainable energy storage, we show that our approach quickly uncovers novel, diverse, and high-performing organic (quinone-based) cathode materials for aqueous redox flow battery applications.
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