Experts evaluate the environmental policies of universities based on six key criteria: “University Location and Infrastructure,” “Energy and Climate Change,” “Waste,” “Water,” “Transportation,” and “Education and Research.”

The total score of NUST MISIS increased by 22% compared to the previous year, allowing the university to rise eight positions among Russian universities—from 41st to 33rd—and climb 24 places globally (from 1180th to 1156th).

The university also showed significant improvement in the categories of “Waste Recycling” (100%), “Water Resource Management” (75%), “Infrastructure” (18.68%), and “Education” (14.90%).

NUST MISIS offers education in several environmental fields. For example, the Master’s program in “Environmental Innovation Management” trains specialists to solve practical environmental and technological tasks for major industrial companies.

In June 2025, the first cohort of Master’s graduates in Technosphere Safety, who are developing engineering solutions for the circular economy, completed their studies. They are ready to manage new production processes in the mining and metallurgical industries and develop projects aimed at reducing the amount of solid municipal waste in major urban systems.

“New palladium-based materials allow us to rethink the very concept of solar energy — to make it an integral part of urban infrastructure. This is not just a new market, but a new technological direction. The development of solar energy, including BIPV, may require up to 10 tons of palladium annually in the future,” said Anna Stavitskaya, Project Manager at the Nornickel Palladium Technology Center.

The Building Integrated Photovoltaics technology involves embedding solar modules into the structural elements of a building — such as facades, roofs, windows, and balcony railings. These solutions allow buildings to generate electricity directly from their surfaces, reduce energy consumption, and preserve both aesthetic appearance and natural lighting.

The panels can be installed in private houses as well as on industrial sites. Unlike traditional silicon solar modules, typically mounted on rooftops or in standalone solar farms, perovskite semi-transparent panels can, for the first time in Russia, be integrated directly into glass facades and windows. The unique properties of perovskites enable them to convert solar energy even under cloudy skies and low light conditions.

“For many years, the research team at MISIS, led by the young and talented Doctor of Science Danila Saranin, has been developing technologies and materials for alternative energy. Their work focuses on extending the lifespan and increasing the efficiency of next-generation solar cells. The university has established a technological base for scaling up from laboratory prototypes to large-scale perovskite solar module testing,” said Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NUST MISIS.

The innovative semi-transparent panels can be embedded into glass surfaces, combining over 30% transparency with efficient solar energy conversion. This combination enables three functions at once: generating electricity, providing natural lighting, and reflecting thermal radiation.

“The core of the technology lies in ultra-thin perovskite films — less than one micron thick — printed onto glass substrates. The key innovation is the use of transparent multilayer electrodes enhanced with palladium, which are resistant to oxidation. Applying a thin palladium layer has little effect on the cost of production but significantly improves resistance to moisture, air, and temperature fluctuations. Although palladium is traditionally used in microelectronics and petrochemistry, we have unlocked its potential for creating durable transparent electrodes in solar modules,” explained Danila Saranin, head of the Advanced Solar Energy Laboratory at NUST MISIS.

According to estimates, each square meter of the panel can generate up to 150 W of electricity, turning glass surfaces into active elements of a building’s energy system. This approach can offset 15–40% of the energy consumption of buildings with glass facades and panoramic windows. For an office center with 3,000 m² of glazing, this equates to up to 45 kW of installed capacity and about 55,000 kWh per year. In agrivoltaics, a greenhouse complex with a glass-covered area of one hectare could generate hundreds of kilowatt-hours annually, covering up to half of its own energy needs.

“One of the key missions of MISIS University, recognized as a global leader in materials science, is to create materials that combine the properties required for real-world industrial applications. For years, our researchers, led by Professor Pavel Sorokin, D.Sc. in Physics and Mathematics and one of the world’s top materials scientists according to Research.com, have been studying nanostructures and developing nanotechnologies. The innovative method for synthesizing crystalline nanowires proposed by this international research team will be in demand for the production of new sensors, wearable electronics, flexible displays, and more,” said Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NUST MISIS.

Nanowires are a special class of crystalline materials shaped like ultra-thin threads. One-dimensional nanostructures, where atoms are bonded by strong covalent links, are considered especially stable in harsh environments. Despite their potential, widespread use has been limited due to production challenges. Until now, such structures were manually separated from larger crystals. It is a low-yield process that fails to produce long, uniform samples. The wires were also prone to breaking during device integration due to their fragility.

Scientists from NUST MISIS, Tulane University, and Suzhou University of Science and Technology have proposed a new synthesis method using tantalum, nickel, and selenium. Unlike traditional approaches that place precursor powders in a single spot within the ampoule, this new technique distributes the powders evenly along the inner surface using electrostatic charging. The ampoule is then heated, and ultra-thin crystalline threads form along its walls, reaching lengths of several millimeters with diameters ranging from 100 to 400 nanometers.

“The wires were monitored for a month outside the ampoule at room temperature. Unlike most nanomaterials, which degrade under exposure to oxygen, moisture, or UV light, the structure of our wires remained intact. Moreover, they can be mechanically split into even thinner strands — down to just 7 nanometers — enabling the development of ultra-sensitive sensors and other microdevices. Quantum-chemical calculations confirmed the possibility of isolating stable individual nanowires and demonstrated their semiconducting properties,” said Konstantin Larionov, Researcher at the Laboratory of Digital Material Science at NUST MISIS.

When interfaced with nickel, stable and uniform Schottky contacts form on the surface of the wire. These are essential for devices such as photodetectors and solar cells, where high sensitivity to electric fields is required. The detailed results have been published in Scientific Reports (Q1).

“In the future, this technology could pave the way for building entire electronic circuits on a single nanowire. A millimeter-scale thread could form the basis for multiple devices in the field of molecular electronics,” concluded Professor Pavel Sorokin, Head of the Laboratory of Digital Material Science at NUST MISIS.

Traditionally, arthrodesis — a procedure that immobilizes a joint to relieve chronic pain in animals with severe joint damage — involves the use of metal constructs. For the surgery to be successful, the bones must be fixed at a specific angle, which is determined individually based on the species of the animal, its condition, the function of the reconstructed limb, the properties of the bone tissue in the surgical area, and the overall clinical situation.

To minimize complications and significantly speed up recovery, NUST MISIS researchers developed experimental arthrodesis implant models for animals. The prototypes were created using 3D printing technology from a bioresorbable shape memory polymer (SMP) reinforced with mineral fillers such as hydroxyapatite and silicon dioxide. This combination enhances both the mechanical strength of the structure and its compatibility with bone tissue. The SMP allows the initial shape to be modified into a preplanned configuration, enabling a functional arthrodesis to be performed during surgery.

“Shape memory composite materials are among the most innovative solutions in orthopedic medicine, as they offer more functional bone reconstruction. Since arthrodesis supports the healing limb, the material must not only be biocompatible but also match the mechanical properties of long bones. We hope these implants will help accelerate recovery and reduce the risk of post-surgical complications in animals,” said Polina Kachalina, a graduate student of the “Biomaterials Science iPhD” program at NUST MISIS, whose thesis focused on this topic.

Once implanted, the material gradually resorbs in the animal’s body under the influence of various physiologically active factors. An additional SMP-based brace helps accurately fix the joint in an anatomically correct position. This eliminates the need for a follow-up surgery, reduces strain on the body, and lowers the risk of infection.

“The key advantage of our approach lies in creating customized bioengineering constructs that minimize limping, optimize joint alignment, and fix the joint in a position that maintains musculoskeletal symmetry,” added Dr. Natalia Anisimova, Professor at the College of Biomedical Engineering, NUST MISIS.

In vitro lab tests showed that living cells adhere well to the surface of the material and that its decomposition products are non-toxic. Over the next year, scientists will test the implants’ ability to self-stabilize within the animal’s body and will assess their biocompatibility and overall performance.

The study was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation, project № 24-23-00442.

Hydrogen energy is a clean alternative to traditional hydrocarbon-based power. One of the key challenges in transitioning to hydrogen fuel is finding an efficient and safe method for its storage and transportation.

Porous materials are the most promising for developing high-capacity portable batteries. Currently, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer the highest hydrogen storage capacity, but they are expensive to produce. A more affordable alternative is carbon-based materials, such as activated carbon, but they absorb half as much hydrogen as MOFs under the same conditions. Moreover, their production releases large amounts of carbon dioxide, harming the environment.

Scientists have proposed a new approach to creating high-capacity hydrogen-absorbing materials — introducing defects into their structure. They demonstrated that hexagonal boron nitride (“white graphite”), when doped with oxygen and carbon, exhibits high sorption properties. The BNCO nanomaterial absorbs nearly three times more hydrogen than MOFs. The study details were published in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (Q1).

“It was previously believed that hydrogen sorption depended primarily on the material’s specific surface area. We discovered another critical parameter, which is atomic vacancies, or structural defects. To create these defects, we synthesized boron nitride nanoparticles with carbon and oxygen atoms and then removed some of these atoms through high-temperature hydrogen treatment,” explained Andrey Matveev, Cand. Sci. (Phys.-Math.), senior researcher at the Inorganic Nanomaterials Research Laboratory of NUST MISIS.

The new method does not require expensive reagents and does not produce carbon dioxide emissions. The technology is scalable for industrial production. The researchers plan to continue their work to further enhance hydrogen sorption capacity.

“Under the Priority-2030 program, NUST MISIS has established and is implementing the strategic technological project ‘Energy of Materials’, whose key objective is to create efficient products for Russia’s perovskite optoelectronics industry. A research team at our university, led by a young and talented scientist, Dr. Danila Saranin, is developing materials for alternative energy and technologies for applying various photoelements to power wearable electronics, IoT devices, and sensors without dependence on light availability. The perovskite-based photodiodes created at NUST MISIS demonstrate high efficiency due to their ability to detect very weak light signals across a broad spectral range,” said Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NUST MISIS.

Perovskite photodiodes can be printed on various types of substrates, including flexible plastics, making them promising for next-generation camera sensors and imaging systems.

However, defects can form at the interfaces between perovskite grains in photodiodes, reducing device efficiency, causing current leakage, and slowing response time.

To improve the performance of perovskite photodiodes, researchers from NUST MISIS and ISPM RAS proposed modifying the interfaces with the P(VDF-TrFE) copolymer. This material has dielectric and ferroelectric properties, allowing it to influence the electric field within the photodiode structure.

“Integrating a small amount of the polymer dielectric into the perovskite photodiode structure improved device sensitivity, expanded the linear dynamic range, and increased response speed,” said Andrey Morozov, a graduate student at NUST MISIS.

Additionally, the polymer layer stabilized the perovskite photodiodes’ performance under adverse conditions. This is crucial for devices exposed to changing environmental conditions and extends their lifespan.

“We are advancing micropixel photodiode technology based on printing principles. The new study demonstrates an important result. The effective operation of photodiodes for X-ray conversion, which is critical for high-resolution medical tomography detectors or security systems. Precise interface engineering in our devices has significantly increased sensitivity and suppressed noise. The achieved performance is comparable to silicon-based analogs but does not require lithography, which we replaced with laser processing,” noted Dr. Danila Saranin, head of the Advanced Solar Energy Laboratory at NUST MISIS.

The results, published in the scientific journal Light: Advanced Manufacturing (Q1), could serve as a foundation for future research and innovation in perovskite photodiode interface design.

“NUST MISIS is a recognized leader in materials science in Russia, ranked among the top 100 universities in the world in the field of Materials Science according to the QS World University Rankings. Our scientists engage in developments that subsequently find applications in various industries, including high-tech sectors. A team of researchers led by young scientist, PhD Stanislav Chernyshikhin, has developed a new composite material for applications in domestically produced nuclear fusion reactors,” said Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NUST MISIS.

Tungsten is considered one of the primary materials for plasma-facing components due to its high melting point and threshold energy for physical sputtering, as well as its low retention of hydrogen isotopes. However, it is difficult to machine mechanically due to its high hardness and brittleness. To manufacture tungsten products, powder metallurgy methods are typically used, but traditional technologies do not allow for the creation of complex-shaped products. Therefore, the conventional design of PFCs consists of a simple multilayer structure. An alternative to classical technologies is additive manufacturing, which allows for layer-by-layer synthesis of products, including porous structures. The properties of such products can be tailored for specific tasks by varying the features of their geometric structure.

“The research and development of new methods for manufacturing tungsten parts has significant practical importance. Selective laser melting (SLM) technology is one of the most popular and widely used methods of additive manufacturing for metal products due to its ability to synthesize complex-shaped parts with high resolution. It is worth noting that producing tungsten products using the SLM method is a challenging task due to its high melting temperature, the formation of non-fusion defects, microcracks, and overheating of various components in installations,” noted Stanislav Chernyshikhin, PhD, head of the laboratory at NUST MISIS.

By studying the conditions for laser synthesis of tungsten, the NUST MISIS team was able to achieve a relative density of solid samples at 96.7%. Initially, skeletal structures of tungsten gyroids, resembling a curved mesh or wave, were created to form the bimetallic material. Then, copper was infiltrated into the metal matrix at temperatures up to 1350°C with in situ monitoring of the process. The study of wetting and infiltration kinetics in tungsten matrices allowed for the establishment of optimal infiltration conditions.

Mechanical tests showed that the composite was significantly more ductile than pure tungsten. It could withstand deformation up to 35% without failure. Additionally, the university’s scientists, in collaboration with JSC “NIIEFA”, conducted thermal conductivity measurements over a wide temperature range (up to 800°C). It was found that as the size of the elementary cell structure decreases, there is a slight reduction in thermal conductivity, but the strength characteristics increase.

“In the future, we plan to move on to producing prototypes of PFCs and conducting thermally loaded cyclic tests. The tests will simulate conditions close to real operating environments in nuclear fusion installations,” added Stanislav Chernyshikhin.

The detailed results are published in the scientific journal International Journal of Refractory Metals and Hard Materials (Q1).