The Chemistry based metaheuristic approaches are optimization algorithms inspired by chemical processes and phenomena. These algorithms aim to mimic the behavior of molecules in a chemical system to find solutions to optimization problems. The goal is to find the global optimum solution corresponding to a chemical systems lowest energy state.

The most common types of chemistry-based metaheuristics include the chemical reaction optimization algorithm (CRO) and artificial chemical reaction optimization algorithm (ACROA) used for optimization problems and searching problems based on the types and the occurrence of chemical reactions for global optimization. In chemistry-based metaheuristics, choosing appropriate solutions for the algorithm and the computational cost of simulating chemical reactions is difficult.

In this, a limited understanding of these algorithms mathematical foundations can limit their ability to be generalized and applied to a wide range of problems. It can effectively search large solution spaces and handle complex optimization problems with non-linear and non-convex objective functions. Additionally, they can find multiple optimal solutions and provide insights into the underlying problem structure. However, these approaches can also be computationally expensive and require significant computational resources.

Types of Chemistry-Based Metaheuristic Approaches

Chemical Reaction Optimization (CRO): CRO is based on the behavior of chemical reactions and their thermodynamic properties. Each candidate solution is considered a reactant in this approach, and the optimization process is modeled as a chemical reaction. The movement of the reactants toward the product is guided by chemical affinity, and the concentration of each reactant is updated based on the reaction kinetics. The fitness function is related to the Gibbs free energy of the reaction.
Molecular Dynamics Optimization (MDO): MDO is based on the principles of molecular dynamics simulation, which models the motion of molecules in a system. Each candidate solution is represented as a molecule in this approach, and the optimization process is modeled as a molecular dynamics simulation. The movement of the molecules is guided by the potential energy of the system, which is computed based on the fitness function. The systems temperature controls the degree of randomness in the search process.
Chemical Reaction Networks Optimization (CRNO): CRNO is an optimization algorithm inspired by chemical reaction networks behavior. In CRNO, candidate solutions are represented as chemical species, and their interactions are modeled using chemical reactions. The optimization process involves simulating the chemical reactions between the species and selecting the best solution based on a fitness function.
Artificial Chemical Reaction Optimization (ACRO): ACRO is a metaheuristic optimization approach inspired by chemical reactions. In ACRO, candidate solutions are represented as reactants, and the optimization process involves simulating the chemical reactions between them. The reactions are guided by a fitness function, which determines the direction and rate of the reactions.

Working Functions of Chemistry-based Metaheuristic Approaches

The general working function of the Chemistry based Metaheuristic approaches involves the following steps:

Initialization:The algorithm initializes a population of candidate solutions. These solutions are typically represented as chemical species or molecules.
Fitness Evaluation: Each candidate solution is evaluated based on a fitness function that measures its quality. The fitness function is problem-specific and determines the objective to be optimized.
Interaction Modeling: The interactions between candidate solutions are modeled using chemical reactions or molecular dynamics simulations. These interactions are guided by the fitness function and are used to determine the movement of the solutions in the solution space.
Solution Selection: After each iteration, the solutions are ranked based on their fitness values. The best solutions are selected and used to generate the next population of candidate solutions.
Termination:The algorithm terminates when a stopping criterion is met, such as a maximum number of iterations or satisfactory solution quality.

Parameters used in Chemistry-Based Metaheuristic Approaches

The parameters used in Chemistry-Based Metaheuristic Approaches may vary depending on the specific algorithm and optimization problem being addressed. However, some common parameters that are often used in these approaches include:

Population Size:The number of candidate solutions in the population that are evaluated at each iteration.
Mutation Rate:The probability of a mutation occurring during the optimization process.
Crossover Rate: The probability of two candidate solutions exchanging genetic material during optimization.
Selection Strategy: The method used to select candidate solutions for the next iteration, such as a tournament or roulette wheel selection.
Chemical Reaction Parameters: Parameters specific to the chemical reactions used in the metaheuristic algorithm, such as reaction rates and diffusion coefficients.
Initial Solution Generation Parameters:Parameters used to generate the initial population of candidate solutions, such as randomization strategies or heuristics.
Termination Criteria: Conditions used to terminate the optimization process, such as a maximum number of iterations or a threshold fitness level.

Advantages of Chemistry-Based Metaheuristic Approaches

Novel Approach:It provides a novel perspective on solving optimization problems by drawing inspiration from chemical reactions and molecular interactions.
Parallelizable: These approaches can be easily parallelized to exploit the computational power of modern hardware architectures, such as GPUs and clusters.
Global Optimization:This can handle continuous and discrete optimization problems, making them suitable for global optimization problems.
Robustness:These approaches are often robust to changes in the optimization problem, such as changes in the objective function or constraints.
Interpretability: A high degree of interpretability allows a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms and interactions.
Scalability: These can be scaled up to solve large-scale optimization problems, making them suitable for real-world applications.
Flexibility:The approaches are highly flexible and adaptable, allowing them to be applied to a wide range of optimization problems.
High-Quality Solutions: These approaches can generate high-quality solutions relatively quickly, making them suitable for solving complex optimization problems.

Recent Applications of Chemistry-Based Metaheuristic Approaches

Engineering: Chemistry-based metaheuristics have been used for engineering design optimization problems, such as structural and multi-objective optimization.
Computer Science: applied in computer science, such as image and signal processing, data analysis, and machine learning.
Scheduling:employed in scheduling problems, such as job shop scheduling and resource-constrained project scheduling.
Clustering:utilized in clustering problems, such as data clustering and pattern recognition.
Medical Applications: largely used in medical applications, such as medical image analysis and drug discovery.
Logistics and Supply Chain Management:utilized in optimization problems in logistics and supply chain management, such as vehicle routing and inventory management.

Challenges of Chemistry-Based Metaheuristic Approaches

Computational Complexity:Chemistry-based metaheuristic approaches involve simulations of chemical reactions and molecular interactions, which can be computationally intensive and require significant computational resources.
Lack of Robustness: These approaches may not be robust to changes in the problem formulation, such as changes in the objective function or constraints. They may require significant modifications to adapt to different problem types.
Parameter Tuning:These approaches typically have several parameters that need to be set, such as reaction rates, diffusion coefficients, and population sizes. Finding the optimal parameter values can be challenging and time-consuming.
Limited Applicability: Chemistry-based metaheuristic approaches may be limited to problems modeled as chemical reactions or molecular interactions. They may not be suitable for other types of optimization problems.
Lack of Interpretability: The chemical reactions and molecular interactions used in these approaches may be difficult to interpret and understand, making it challenging to analyze the results and gain insights into the problem structure.
Scalability: These approaches may struggle to handle large-scale optimization problems as the computational complexity increases with the size of the problem.
High Dimensionality: The search space of many optimization problems is high-dimensional, which can pose a challenge for chemistry-based metaheuristic approaches that rely on simulating chemical reactions in low-dimensional space.

Current Research Topics in Chemistry-Based Metaheuristic Approaches

Potential Future Research Direction in Chemistry-Based Meta-heuristic Approaches