Aluminum has a low density, which makes it widely used to reduce the weight of structures. However, conventional aluminum alloys and modern aluminum matrix composites reinforced with ceramic particles have a significant drawback: at temperatures above 300°C, they lose much of their strength.

“Scientists at NUST MISIS have developed and patented an innovative aluminum-based composite that, at temperatures above 300°C, demonstrates strength close to that of structural steel while remaining almost three times lighter. The development will be in demand in aviation, space industry, and mechanical engineering, where components and equipment operate under extreme conditions and in aggressive environments,” said Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NUST MISIS.

The researchers created a hybrid composite material in which the aluminum matrix is simultaneously reinforced with submicron aluminum oxide particles and titanium powder.

“We did not simply mix two types of additives—we created a system in which one of the components (titanium) interacts with the aluminum matrix at every stage, from alloying to annealing, enhancing the strengthening effect of aluminum oxide,” said Alexey Prosviryakov, Candidate of Technical Sciences and Senior Researcher at the Laboratory of Ultrafine-Grained Metallic Materials at NUST MISIS.

Aluminum oxide particles, which provide increased stiffness to the composite, are combined with titanium powder. During heat treatment, titanium reacts with aluminum to form hard, refractory intermetallic particles. These particles improve resistance to plastic deformation even at high temperatures, creating an additional strengthening effect.

“Equally important is the method used to create the material—mechanical alloying. Intensive processing in a planetary ball mill refines the structure down to the nanoscale, forming numerous ultrafine and stable grains. These grain boundaries significantly enhance the material’s strength,” added Dmitry Bekarevich, Research Assistant at the Department of Non-Ferrous Metallurgy, NUST MISIS.

The support vector machine algorithm is one of the fundamental classification models commonly used for image and digit recognition, as well as in machine learning projects focused on cancer detection and drug discovery.

“In the proposed model, the data array is encoded using qudits, that is, quantum states with more than two levels. This makes it possible to process larger volumes of information without increasing the number of physical carriers. The work brings us closer to the practical application of quantum computers in machine learning tasks,” said Alexey Fedorov, Director of the College of Physics and Quantum Engineering at NUST MISIS.

According to the algorithm’s operating principle, qudits map data into a multidimensional space, where it can then be easily separated and classified.

“First, a sequence of quantum gates (encoding classical data) is applied to the quantum state of a qudit. Then, measurements are performed on all registers, and the output is a classical bit string — a sequence of zeros and ones. The highest classification accuracy was achieved with 1,024 iterations of the quantum gate sequence,” explained Elizaveta Glazkova, a postgraduate student at the Department of Theoretical Physics and Quantum Technologies, NUST MISIS.

The resulting algorithm is already being applied by researchers from NUST MISIS and the Institute of Nanotechnology of Microelectronics of the Russian Academy of Sciences in joint work on segmenting interfaces of functional thin films for next-generation microelectronics.

Details of the study have been published in the scientific journal Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences: Physics. The work was carried out as part of the strategic technological project “Quantum Internet” under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation’s Priority 2030 program.

“Additive technologies are one of the key drivers of modern industry: their application accelerates production cycles and improves material efficiency. A team of scientists from NUST MISIS, led by Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor Sergey Nikolaevich Zhevnenko, has developed and patented an innovative method with strong potential for metallurgy and high-temperature electronics. This additive technology enables the creation of tungsten heaters with complex geometries and various sizes, reduces production labor intensity, and enhances product reliability under extreme operating conditions,” said Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NUST MISIS.

Tungsten heaters are a key component in equipment operating at temperatures ranging from 1500 to 3000°C. They are used in vacuum and protective furnaces for sintering and heat treatment, as well as for crystal growth, brazing, and melting of refractory metals. They are widely applied in high-temperature metallurgy and powder technologies, as well as in the synthesis of carbides, nitrides, and superhard materials. These elements are also used in laboratory equipment that simulates extreme conditions for testing new alloys, ceramics, and composites. However, traditional manufacturing of tungsten heaters is labor-intensive due to the difficulties of processing the metal, which limits the scale and efficiency of their use. MISIS researchers addressed this challenge using additive manufacturing, specifically selective laser melting.

“Traditional methods of producing tungsten heaters, which are casting, machining, and manual assembly of composite structures, are complex and expensive, especially when it comes to compact products with multicomponent structures. We have patented an additive manufacturing technology that radically simplifies established processes,” said Professor Sergey Zhevnenko, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Department of Physical Chemistry, NUST MISIS.

By optimizing melting parameters, the researchers succeeded in producing a monolithic tungsten heater that does not require additional tooling.

“For printing, we used pure tungsten powder with particle sizes in the tens of micrometers. Since this metal has a very high melting point, around 3422°C, the process required high radiation power and precise tuning of technological parameters. In a selective laser melting system, we locally melted tungsten powder in an argon atmosphere, forming the изделие layer by layer,” explained PhD Stanislav Chernyshikhin, Head of the Laboratory of Additive Manufacturing at NUST MISIS.

According to Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Ainur Khairullin, a Category I engineer in the research project at the Department of Physical Chemistry, NUST MISIS, the developed technology makes it significantly easier and more cost-effective, compared to traditional methods, to produce small-sized tungsten heaters for scientific and educational applications. This will help increase the speed and efficiency of research involving high-temperature laboratory methods without additional costs. Overall, the development paves the way for mass production of tungsten heaters for a wide range of industrial applications.

The work was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (No. 23-19-00657).

In terms of performance, supercapacitors occupy an intermediate position between conventional capacitors and batteries. They can charge and discharge extremely quickly and withstand tens of thousands of operating cycles. Their characteristics largely depend on the electrode material, which is often activated carbon. However, the traditional production of activated carbon requires considerable time and energy.

Researchers from MISIS University and RIAMT proposed an alternative approach to producing this material. Instead of prolonged heating in furnaces, they applied microwave treatment in a special waveguide operating in a traveling-wave mode. In such a system, microwave radiation is efficiently absorbed by the entire sample, allowing the material to heat rapidly and uniformly throughout its volume.

As the starting material, the researchers used cotton waste from textile production, which is an accessible and renewable raw material with a high carbon content.

“The entire process of converting the initial cotton into carbon and forming the porous structure took less than five minutes. For comparison, conventional thermal treatment requires more than one and a half hours and significantly higher energy consumption. The resulting carbon materials have a well-developed hierarchical porous structure,” said Valentin Berestov, assistant at the Department of Physical Chemistry at MISIS University and junior researcher at RIAMT.

Traditional analogues are dominated by very small pores, which makes it difficult for electrolyte ions to penetrate quickly. In the new material, however, an effective combination of small pores and larger channels is formed. This facilitates ion transport inside the electrode and improves the performance of the supercapacitor, especially under high loads.

Tests showed that the samples retain more than 95% of their capacitance even after 20,000 charge-discharge cycles. At high current densities, they demonstrate better performance than activated carbons produced by conventional methods.

Details of the study were published in Journal of Energy Storage (Q1).

“Microwave radiation has been used before to produce activated carbon, but typically this is done in so-called resonator-type furnaces, which are structurally very similar to household microwave ovens. In such cases, the speed of production or the quality of the material did not always surpass traditional methods. In our work, we proposed an original technical solution, which is irradiating the sample in a waveguide. This makes it possible to dramatically increase the speed of obtaining materials with the required properties. Using textile waste as a raw material also reduces environmental impact and aligns with the circular economy concept, where waste becomes a resource,” added Ilya Krechetov, Candidate of Physics and Mathematics and associate professor at the Department of Physical Chemistry at MISIS University.

The technology can be scaled and adapted for other types of biomass. In the future, this approach may open the way to rapid and environmentally friendly production of materials for next-generation energy storage systems, from portable electronics to electric transport and industrial energy applications.

“Developments from NUST MISIS are successfully applied across various high-tech industries: from medicine to aviation and space. The new aluminum alloy with the addition of tin, created by our researchers under the leadership of young and talented Doctor of Technical Sciences Torgom Akopyan, shows strong potential for sectors where the combination of strength and lightness is critical. The use of this patented material will significantly reduce the cost of manufacturing high-load components in the aviation, space, and transport industries,” said Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NUST MISIS.

At the initial stage, all components were melted, mixed, and cast into ingots. These ingots were then rolled into sheets, which helped densify the metal structure. The most critical stage is heat treatment: first, the alloy was quenched, and then an aging process was applied. At the final stage, a microalloying addition of tin triggered the formation of numerous ultrafine copper-containing particles within the metal, which provide the material with high strength.

“It is important to note that the performance improvement is achieved without the use of expensive or toxic alloying elements such as silver or cadmium, while maintaining a high capacity for deformation without fracture. The alloy can be used to produce structural elements of airframes, frames, fastenings, and landing gear assemblies in the aerospace industry,” said Torgom Akopyan, Doctor of Technical Sciences and Senior Researcher at the Department of Metal Pressure Forming, NUST MISIS.

The new composition and processing regimes make it possible to control the material’s structure at the nanoscale, which increases its key mechanical properties (ultimate strength and yield strength) by 30–40% while preserving high ductility. In transport engineering, the alloy can be used to manufacture high-load components for cars, trains, and specialized machinery, including body structures, frames, and suspension elements. It also enables the production of all major types of wrought semi-finished products: rolled plates and sheets, forgings, and extruded bars.

“The advantage of this method lies in its full compatibility with existing industrial infrastructure. Transitioning to the production of the new alloy will not require costly re-equipment of facilities, standard casting, rolling, and heat treatment equipment can be used. This ensures a low barrier to adoption and rapid return on investment,” explained Nikolay Belov, Doctor of Technical Sciences and Chief Researcher at the Department of Metal Pressure Forming, NUST MISIS.

The work was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (Project No. 23-73-30007).

“A team of scientists at MISIS University, led by Professor Nikolai A. Belov, Doctor of Technical Sciences and one of the world’s most highly cited researchers, has developed an innovative aluminum alloy containing calcium and titanium. The material combines excellent casting properties with exceptional ductility. In the future, the new alloy could be used to produce lightweight and durable components for the mechanical engineering industry,” MISIS University Rector Alevtina Chernikova.

Traditional aluminum—silicon alloys are widely used in manufacturing due to their good casting performance, low density, and cost efficiency. However, they have a significant drawback — low ductility. As a result, they are unable to withstand impact loads and complex deformation, which considerably limits their range of applications. The MISIS University researchers proposed an alternative based on an aluminum—calcium system with the addition of titanium.

“We discovered a new compound containing aluminum, calcium, and titanium. As the melt solidifies, a compact ternary phase forms instead of the coarse and brittle crystals that typically reduce alloy deformability,” Evgenia Naumova, Doctor of Technical Sciences and Associate Professor at the Department of Metal Forming at MISIS University.

The detailed findings of the study have been published in the scientific journal Materials Letters.

“As the alloy solidifies, it develops a structure we describe as a ‘natural composite.’ It can be compared to a reinforced material: the finest hard particles are uniformly distributed within a ductile aluminum matrix. Hardness increases proportionally with the fraction of these particles. Alloys containing 0.5% titanium demonstrated the optimal balance of properties,” Professor Nikolai Belov, Chief Researcher at the Department of Metal Forming at MISIS University.

The research was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (Project No. 23-79-30015).

“As part of the Priority 2030 national program, a research team at NUST MISIS led by Professor Alexey Ustinov, a globally recognized scientist, is implementing the strategic technological project ‘Quantum Internet.’ One of its key objectives is to create the conditions necessary for transitioning quantum technologies from laboratories into industry and developing competitive products with export potential. The new machine learning—based algorithm enables dynamic optimization of error correction in quantum key distribution systems, improving operational stability under non-ideal conditions. This development is an important step toward building scalable and practical quantum networks,” NUST MISIS Rector Alevtina Chernikova.

Quantum cryptography provides a very high level of data protection because any attempt to intercept information alters the quantum state of the system and cannot go undetected. However, the technology is highly sensitive to noise and equipment instability.

In high-speed quantum key distribution (QKD) systems, data streams must be processed almost in real time. This requires fast error correction codes that reveal as little information as possible about the key over the public channel. Selecting the optimal code depends, among other factors, on accurately predicting the initial error rate in the distributed key. The researchers proposed a new solution by training an algorithm to analyze QKD system performance and dynamically predict quantum error rates based on telemetry data.

“At the end of a QKD session, legitimate users obtain ‘raw’ keys that should be identical. However, due to natural noise or potential eavesdropping, these keys always contain errors, which are detected and corrected using special error correction codes. The keys are divided into small blocks, and checksums—known as syndromes—are exchanged over a public channel for each block. This makes it possible to identify and correct mismatched bits without revealing their values. The more auxiliary information required for this exchange, the slower and more vulnerable the process becomes. Our algorithm analyzes system telemetry in real time and selects the optimal error correction mode for each block,” Andrey Tayduganov, Head of the Laboratory of Quantum Communications Theory at NUST MISIS.

“We systematically evaluated modern methods using real-world datasets, which significantly expanded our available toolkit. The key advantage of our method is that it has been validated on real experimental data and is directly applicable to specific physical setups. Most approaches described in the literature are tested only in simulations, allowing them to achieve formally high performance before being validated with actual data,” Denis Derkach, Head of the Research and Training Laboratory for Big Data Analysis Methods at HSE University.

The new model takes into account not only the history of error rate fluctuations but also a range of additional system parameters, enabling it to quickly adapt to unexpected changes. Detailed results of the study are published in the scientific journal Physics of Particles and Nuclei.

The algorithm also analyzes error rates and detection probabilities of decoy laser pulses, which do not contribute to key generation but play an essential role in estimating parameters required to calculate the length of the final secret key. This makes it possible to detect sudden changes in the quantum channel or single-photon detectors at the receiver and incorporate this information for more accurate prediction of signal pulse error rates.

The research was carried out as part of the NUST MISIS strategic technological project Quantum Internet under the Priority 2030 program of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia (National Project “Youth and Children”), project No. K1-2022-027.

At the heart of quantum computing are qubits. Unlike a bit in a classical computer, which can be either “0” or “1,” a qubit can also exist in a superposition of states. When a qubit is measured, it “chooses” one of the states (0 or 1) with a probability determined by its superposition and then collapses into that state. Each qubit is encoded in the state of a specific physical system, such as an atom or a photon. Modern quantum processors still have a limited number of such elements and are sensitive to errors when performing complex tasks, which is why improving accuracy and reducing the number of computational operations remain key goals. In addition to qubits, there are more complex, multilevel units—qudits—which combine more states (three, four, or more) and can process more information. If researchers learn to control them effectively, these additional levels can be used to simplify computations without increasing the number of physical information carriers—atoms, ions, superconducting systems, and so on.

Researchers at MISIS have developed schemes in which the additional levels of qudits are engaged only during specific steps of an algorithm, after which the system returns to the standard qubit operating mode. This makes it possible to implement quantum algorithms more efficiently.

“We have shown how to simplify complex operations that are essential for most quantum algorithms. Typically, performing them requires many steps and additional elements, which increases the risk of errors. Using extra states already available in qudits allows us to reduce the number of steps needed to carry out such operations,” Alexey Fedorov, PhD, Director of the College of Physics and Quantum Engineering at MISIS.

The new approach is not tied to a specific technology and can be applied across various quantum platforms—from superconducting circuits to ionic and photonic systems. This makes the development universal and promising for the further advancement of quantum computing. The results help bring the practical use of quantum algorithms closer and enhance the efficiency of next-generation quantum devices.

“We deliberately focus on quantum algorithms represented in the form of qubit circuits, since this is how the overwhelming majority of quantum algorithms are described today. This allows us to directly link theoretical ideas with real hardware platforms and to show how qudits can be used without the need to completely rethink existing algorithms,” Anastasia Nikolaeva, PhD in Physics and Mathematics, Senior Researcher in the Quantum Information Technologies Group at the Russian Quantum Center and MISIS.

The article was published in Reviews of Modern Physics (Q1), which ranks among the top 1% of scientific journals by citation impact. According to the Scopus database, the journal’s percentile is 99—meaning its articles are cited more frequently than those in 99% of other journals. The journal ranks 13th among more than 49,000 titles across all fields of science.

“We analyzed a wide range of approaches to using qudits in quantum computing—both those developed in our previous studies and those proposed by other research groups. It was important for us not only to bring these results together, but also to highlight their strengths and weaknesses and to present the overall picture in a way that is clear to quantum hardware developers and to fellow theorists working on quantum algorithms,” Evgeny Kiktenko, PhD in Physics and Mathematics, Junior Scientific Director of the Quantum Information Technologies Group at the Russian Quantum Center.

The research was carried out as part of the MISIS strategic technological project “Quantum Internet” within the Priority 2030 program of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, with additional support from the Russian Science Foundation.

“Researchers at MISIS University pay great attention to developments that support the transition to a circular economy. The method for extracting rare refractory metals from spent petrochemical catalysts, developed by a research team led by Doctor of Engineering Sciences, Professor Vadim Tarasov, is in line with the principles of green metallurgy and makes it possible to return valuable metals to production. The recovered tungsten and molybdenum can subsequently be used in the manufacture of electrodes, heating elements, heat-resistant materials, and sensitive sensors,” Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NUST MISIS.

Rare refractory metals are recovered from spent catalysts based on alumina carriers, which are widely used in oil refining, gas purification, and other chemical processes. Once their service life is exhausted, the catalysts lose their activating properties, but they still contain up to 25% tungsten and molybdenum oxides by total mass. This makes them a valuable source of secondary raw materials for recycling.

“Tungsten and molybdenum are desorbed using different reagents. For example, tungsten is precipitated with an alkaline solution and then converted into tungsten oxide, while molybdenum is extracted using an ammonia solution to obtain ammonium paramolybdate, which turns into molybdenum oxide when heated,” Olga Krivolapova, PhD in Engineering, Associate Professor of the Department of Non-Ferrous Metals and Gold at NUST MISIS.

The process consists of several stages. The spent catalysts are crushed into a powder and leached with a sodium carbonate solution under ultrasonic treatment, which accelerates the dissolution of tungsten and molybdenum compounds. The suspension is then adjusted to the required acidity level, after which sorption is carried out in pulsed columns using domestically produced sorbents that selectively react with the ions of the target metals present. After desorption, tungsten and molybdenum oxides are obtained.

“Unlike traditional extraction methods, which require significant energy consumption and large amounts of expensive reagents, the new sorption-based technology is more environmentally friendly, helps companies save resources, and also reduces equipment wear, as it relies on low-temperature processes,” Vadim Tarasov, Doctor of Engineering Sciences and Head of the Department of Non-Ferrous Metals and Gold at NUST MISIS.

Both journals have the 99th percentile, indicating that their citation impact — one of the most important indicators of scientific influence — is higher than that of 99% of academic journals. Scopus determines percentiles using the CiteScore metric, which reflects the average number of citations received over four years per article published in a journal. Since citation patterns vary significantly across research fields, rankings are compiled separately for each subject area.

In 2024, Reviews of Modern Physics posted a record CiteScore of 91.1, securing 13th place among more than 49,000 journals indexed by Scopus across all disciplines. By comparison, Nature ranks 22nd with a CiteScore of 78.1.

In the article Qudits for Decomposing Multiqubit Gates and Realizing Quantum Algorithms, published in Reviews of Modern Physics, researchers from the College of physics and quantum engineering at NUST MISIS — Evgeny Kiktenko, Anastasia Nikolaeva, and Alexey Fedorov — explore approaches to using qudits, multi-level quantum systems, for the efficient implementation of quantum algorithms.

ACS Nano has a CiteScore of 24.2 and ranks 297th in the overall Scopus rating. With the participation of Alexander Kvashnin, Professor at the Department of semiconductor and dielectric materials at NUST MISIS, an international team of researchers published the article SbIV, an Unusual Player in 2D Spintronic Devices, presenting the results of a theoretical study of ultrathin films of the perovskite Rb₂SbCl₆.

A specially engineered strain of Pichia pastoris yeast, created using genetic engineering techniques, is capable of synthesizing antibodies, enzymes, and even “sweet” proteins. This makes it possible to precisely program the properties of the gel and tailor it to specific dental applications—for example, adjusting its viscosity, breaking down biofilms, or enhancing antibacterial activity.

“There are a number of non-pathogenic microorganisms—bacteria, yeasts, and filamentous fungi—that are traditionally used as platforms for producing proteins, lipids, and acids needed in biotechnology, the food industry, and medicine. Directed biosynthesis using specialized microorganisms makes it possible to create custom enzymes with predefined properties in any required quantity,” Pavel Volkov, PhD in Chemistry, Associate Professor of the Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry at NUST MISIS.

Young researchers working under the supervision of scientists from the Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry at NUST MISIS designed a new genetic construct containing a gene responsible for producing the required dextranase enzyme in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris. The research team studied the activity of the biocatalyst under different acidity levels and its ability to act on various substrates. These data helped optimize the development for use in the human oral cavity.

“This strain is particularly effective for producing recombinant enzymes because it eliminates the need for additional chromatographic protein purification—the yeast does not synthesize extraneous foreign proteins or other metabolites,” Yaroslav Gorinov, NUST MISIS student who won RUB 1 million for this development in the Student Startup competition of the University Technology Entrepreneurship Platform, funded by the Innovation Promotion Fund.

In the long term, the introduction of directed biosynthesis methods could significantly reduce the cost and simplify enzyme production by eliminating one of the most expensive stages while maintaining high purity of the final product. The approach makes it possible to obtain substances with the desired properties, including the ability to break down bacterial biofilms that can lead to tooth decay and other dental diseases.

The project completed the NUST MISIS acceleration program, where, over several months, the innovators worked with experts, trackers, and mentors to further develop the initiative.

Aluminum alloys in the 5xxx series are versatile materials known for their strength, corrosion resistance, and light weight. These alloys are used in the production of fuel tanks and aircraft fuselages, automotive panels and frames, ship hulls and deck equipment, as well as sensors and wires in microelectronics. In construction, they are used for windows, facades, and stained glass, while in the food and chemical industries, they serve in technological equipment. However, further enhancement of such materials is limited, as traditional methods are energy-intensive and require expensive alloying elements.

Evgenia Naumova, a candidate of technical sciences and associate professor at the Department of Pressure Metalworking at MISIS, shared: “Microelectronics companies do not need to create new alloys or reconfigure their production lines. The proposed approach is technologically simpler and cheaper than traditional hardening methods. It will also extend the lifespan of products, which in the long run will reduce maintenance and replacement costs.”

The high-pressure twisting method is one of the most effective ways to strengthen metals without altering their chemical composition. During the process, the sample is placed between sturdy anvils and twisted under pressure of tens of thousands of atmospheres. Under these conditions, the material’s structure becomes nanocrystalline, giving the alloy a unique combination of strength and ductility.

“Intensive deformation changes the internal structure of the aluminum alloy: large grains are transformed into ultra-fine ones, which leads to a sharp increase in strength without sacrificing ductility. Given the compact size of the workpiece, we see the primary potential of this material in microelectromechanical systems, where lightweight, durable structures—such as sensors and actuators—are required to maintain their properties through multiple work cycles and resist high temperatures,” Stanislav Rogachev, Doctor of Technical Sciences and associate professor at the Department of Metallography and Strength Physics at MISIS.

The detailed results have been published in the scientific journal Russian Metallurgy (Metally). The research was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (No. 20-19-00746-P).

Superconducting single-photon detectors, invented in Russia, are considered a key element of quantum technologies. They allow for the detection of individual light quanta with record efficiency, temporal resolution, and low false alarm rates—necessary for the creation of photonic quantum processors, quantum cryptography systems, and biomedical imaging. However, traditional superconducting materials used to produce them have limitations: they require high-temperature heating (600—800°C), which significantly hinders scaling and integration with the most promising photonic platforms, such as gallium arsenide (GaAs) and thin-film lithium niobate (LNOI).

“The main advantage of the material is the ability to apply the film at room temperature, making it compatible with any substrates, including semiconductors, for which heating above 350°C is undesirable,” Vladislav Korovin, a laboratory researcher at the NUST MISIS Photonic Gas Sensor Laboratory.

Researchers from NUST MISIS, Moscow State Pedagogical University, Higher School of Economics, and the Russian Space Systems Corporation (RKCC) have demonstrated for the first time that detectors made from a molybdenum-rhenium (MoRe) alloy can not only be grown on the rough piezoelectric substrate of lithium niobate but also operate in single-photon and multi-photon modes across a broad range of wavelengths from visible to near-infrared (IR).

“We deposited a molybdenum-rhenium film onto a thin-film lithium niobate substrate—a material actively used to create miniature high-speed photonic integrated circuits. Thanks to the electro-optical effect of lithium niobate, we can precisely control light signals within the chip. The combination with the new superconducting coating enables the creation of compact and sensitive quantum devices, such as opto-radio frequency converters for the quantum internet. The creation of such an internet would fundamentally change the paradigm of quantum computing by linking separate quantum computers together,” Alexey Nevzorov, Ph.D. in Physics, researcher at the NUST MISIS Competence Center for Quantum Communications.

The newly developed detector demonstrated photon detection efficiency of up to 98% with light at a wavelength of 780 nm and 73.5% at 1550 nm—key ranges for photon chip operations. The device functioned at relatively high temperatures, which is uncommon for other amorphous superconductors, and its characteristics were comparable to the best samples of polycrystalline superconductors. The details of the research were published in the scientific journal Applied Physics Letters (Q1).

“This applied development was carried out as part of the NUST MISIS strategic technological project ‘Quantum Internet’ under the ‘Priority-2030’ program, with close collaboration between the university and industry. In particular, with our partner, LLC ‘Superconducting Nanotechnologies’ (Skontel), which operates in the global quantum sensor market. We hope that, thanks to our research and developments, the company will not only maintain Russia’s leading position in traditional markets but will also conquer new ones—India, Vietnam, Africa, and Latin America—where the development of quantum technologies is just gaining momentum, and access to technologies from Europe and the U.S. is severely limited,” Vadim Kovalyuk, Ph.D. in Physics, head of the Photonic Gas Sensor Laboratory at NUST MISIS.

The work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant No. 24-72-10105) and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (FSME-2025-0004).

Max phases, which combine the strength of ceramics with the thermal conductivity of metals, are known for their resistance to high temperatures, pressure, and loads. However, a reliable technology for bonding max phases with metals has yet to be developed. The processes occurring at the interface between materials and various molten metals remain incompletely understood.

Researchers from NUST MISIS and the A.G. Merzhanov Institute of Structural Macrokinetics and Materials Science of the Russian Academy of Sciences have studied how molten copper interacts with a max phase made of titanium, aluminum, and nitrogen. The scientists placed polished max phase plates in a vacuum chamber, applied droplets of molten copper at temperatures between 1085 and 1200°C, and recorded the results using high-speed filming and thermographic measurements. They found that when in contact with copper, the max phase decomposes into solid titanium nitride particles, while aluminum atoms move into the copper melt. As a result, the material volume decreases, creating micropores that are then filled with copper. They also discovered that the decomposition and infiltration process can be controlled by adjusting the temperature and heating time above the copper melting point.

“We are the first to describe the mechanism of change in max phases during their high-temperature interaction with copper melts, resulting in the formation of a new composite. Understanding this process will allow the creation of strong intermediate layers for soldering different materials, as well as the synthesis of composites with high strength,” Sergey Zhevnenko, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences and Professor at the Department of Physical Chemistry at NUST MISiS.

The resulting material turned out to be significantly harder than pure copper. The max phase particles, bonded by the melt, formed a dense structure with increased strength. The bonded grains of the original max phase also showed increased hardness. The composite may be more resistant to wear and deformation while maintaining high electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance. The details of the research were published in the scientific journal Composite Interfaces. The study was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (project No. 23-19-00657).

Due to their high thermo- and corrosion-resistance, refractory metals, including niobium alloys, are essential in the production of oil and gas processing equipment, electrolytic capacitors, containers for molten metals, and more. However, at high temperatures in oxidative environments, they are susceptible to wear and destruction. To extend the lifespan of such products and create a protective layer, the researchers employed spark plasma sintering—an advanced material processing technique that uses pulsed direct current to create highly effective, unique microstructures that are difficult to achieve with conventional methods.

The starting materials were powders obtained by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS), containing a mixture of molybdenum disilicide from industrial waste of heating elements, along with zirconium, hafnium, and niobium silicides and borides.

“On niobium alloy substrates, we created a coating that prevents the diffusion of oxygen atoms into the material, thereby protecting it from oxidation at high temperatures and further degradation. By forming a layered structure made of borosilicate glass, oxides, and silicates of zirconium and hafnium, the coating exhibits self-healing properties for defects,” Evgeny Levashov, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), head of the Department of Powder Metallurgy and Functional Coatings (PMiFP), and director of the SHS Scientific-Educational Center at MISIS-ISMANT (NUC SHS).

Sintering the powders in the range of 1400—1600°C formed a gas-tight protective layer, significantly improving both thermal and oxidative resistance. Detailed research results are published in the scientific journals International Journal of Refractory Metals and Hard Materials and Surface Engineering and Applied Electrochemistry.

“During sintering, a strong diffusion zone forms between the coating and the substrate, enabling exceptional heat resistance and resistance to cyclic thermal loads,” Ph.D. Philip Kiryukhantsev-Korneev, professor at the PMiFP Department and head of the “In Situ Diagnostics of Structural Transformations” laboratory at the NUC SHS MISIS.

“The engineering solutions developed by the scientists at MISIS University, a leading institution in the country for new technologies and materials, are successfully applied in various high-tech, research-intensive industries—from chemical manufacturing to nuclear energy. The ’self-healing’ coating created by our researchers under the guidance of Professor Evgeny Levashov, director of the NUC SHS MISIS-ISMANT and corresponding member of the RAS, far exceeds the heat and wear resistance of traditional niobium substrates. This new material will find applications in industries where equipment is operated with high intensity under extreme temperatures,” Alevtina Chernikova, rector of NUST MISIS.

The work was carried out with financial support from the Russian Science Foundation (grant No. 23-49-00141) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant No. 52261135546).

In hybrid processors, qubits perform operations that are impossible for conventional computers, while classical control electronics, built on traditional microchips, provide control signals, synchronize operations, read qubit states, and process results. Currently, these devices feature tens or hundreds of qubits, but for complex tasks, such as molecular modeling and optimizing logistics routes, thousands or even millions are needed. A single chip cannot accommodate that many elements, so processors are assembled from several chips, connected into a unified system.

The main challenge here is the specific requirements of quantum processors. At temperatures close to absolute zero, the connections between chips must remain superconducting, transmit signals without loss, and avoid introducing noise that could disrupt quantum states. As the number of qubits and control lines increases, establishing reliable connections becomes more complex.

To overcome this limitation, researchers from MISIS University, Moscow State University (MSU), the Russian Quantum Center, the Quantum Nanofabrication Center, and Paris’s École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles (ESPCI-Paris) studied and enhanced flip-chip technology.

“The theoretical model we developed showed that when the resonator frequencies match, it is possible to fully transfer non-classical quantum states from one chip to another, which is crucial for building quantum networks,” Dr. Nikolai Klyonov, Associate Professor at MSU’s Department of Atomic Physics, Plasma Physics, and Microelectronics.

Flip-chip technology, commonly used in classical microelectronics, allows chips to be stacked on top of each other and interconnected by miniature superconducting micro-pillars. This approach reduces the length of the connections, increases component density, and simplifies layout. The developed connections reliably operate at temperatures around 20 mK without disturbing fragile quantum states.

“For connecting the chips, we created and tested indium interconnects with a multi-layer metallic foundation (Al/Ti/Pt/In), which ensure stable connectivity under conditions of significant temperature fluctuations. Special attention was given to preventing the formation of unwanted intermetallic compounds at the aluminum-indium interface, which could degrade qubit performance,” Dr. Igor Solovyev, Leading Researcher in the Microelectronics Department at MSU’s Institute for Nuclear Physics.

The researchers studied in detail three types of connections between the quantum chip (Q-chip) and the control chip (C-chip). Each is suited for different tasks, from precise parameter adjustments to transmitting ultra-short picosecond pulses for qubit control. The results were published in Advanced Quantum Technologies (Q1).

“We conducted a systematic experimental and theoretical study of the three main types of connections between the quantum chip, which contains qubits and resonators, and the control chip, which houses control and readout lines. We confirmed the stable operation of all types of connections at ultra-low temperatures, and the measured resonator characteristics matched the theoretical predictions,” co-author Dr. Natalia Maleeva, Director of the Quantum Design Center at MISIS University.

The research opens up possibilities for creating modular quantum processors and internal quantum networks. The next step is integrating real qubits with control electronics and achieving high-precision quantum information transmission. In the future, the computational power of such processors will be required for developing new drugs and materials, cryptography, financial modeling, climate forecasting, and optimizing infrastructure systems.

The technology was developed with support from the Rosatom State Corporation within the framework of the Quantum Computing Roadmap (agreement No. 868-1.3-15/15-2021 dated 05.10.2021). Experimental research on the device was carried out at MISIS University within the strategic technology project Quantum Internet under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia’s Priority-2030 program.

“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.

Despite their great potential, quantum machine learning tasks face serious challenges in training and optimization. Because of the vast number of possible solutions—many of which are suboptimal—algorithms often get “stuck” before reaching the best solutions. The protocol developed at NUST MISIS helps regulate optimization landscapes through specially designed noise channels.

Ordinarily, noise interferes with the efficient operation of quantum algorithms. Any interaction with the environment—such as random temperature fluctuations or electromagnetic disturbances—causes errors in calculations. The team demonstrated that the use of specialized noise channels effectively smooths out small-scale fluctuations in the loss function, enabling algorithms to find higher-quality solutions.

“When we train a model—be it a classical neural network or a quantum algorithm—it has a loss function. This function measures how far the model is from solving a problem correctly: the higher the loss, the worse the performance. A model can have many parameters, such as rotations, phases, or weights. Each combination of these parameters produces a result, and the loss function assigns it a value—a ‘height.’ Imagine you’re standing on a mountain trying to reach the lowest point. The height tells you how far you are from your goal. Along the way, you encounter many small pits and dips, where it’s easy to get stuck without ever reaching the bottom That’s usually what happens—we wander and fall into local traps. Our method is like filling those small pits with sand. It levels the surface, making the path smoother: you don’t get stuck and can keep moving toward the goal. In this way, adding noise—regularization—smooths the landscape and makes it much easier to find the optimal solution,” Dr. Nikita Nemkov, Senior Research Fellow at the NUST MISIS Quantum Information Technology Laboratory.

The protocol introduces a controlled amount of noise to specific elements of a quantum circuit, which smooths out the loss function. The team tested their algorithm on benchmark problems and a quantum convolutional neural network. In both cases, the protocol improved performance: the likelihood of finding the correct solution increased several times compared to traditional methods. Detailed results of the study are published in the Physical Review A journal (Q1).

“The difficulty of training variational quantum algorithms and quantum machine learning models is well known. Our proposed protocol can be combined with an existing method for mitigating local minima—the quantum natural gradient optimizer—as well as complement other approaches to optimizing quantum loss functions. Technically, the protocol requires few additional resources and can be applied both in classical quantum circuit simulators and on real quantum devices,” Dr. Alexey Fedorov, PhD, Director of the College of Physics and Quantum Engineering at NUST MISIS and head of the Quantum Information Technology research group at the RCC.

The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant No. 23-71-01095), as well as within the framework of the NUST MISIS strategic technological project Quantum Internet under the Russian Ministry of Education and Science’s Priority-2030 program.

When in constant contact with water, any alloy oxidizes. Even stainless steel cannot always withstand such conditions: its surface is damaged by friction and the impact of seawater salts.

“One of the key missions of NUST MISIS as a recognized leader in materials science is to ensure the creation of materials that combine the properties necessary for real-world industrial applications. The new protective coating technology developed by MISIS researchers under the leadership of one of Russia’s and the world’s leading materials scientists, Professor Dmitry Shtansky, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, can be used by industrial companies to protect marine and coastal infrastructure,” NUST MISIS Rector Alevtina Chernikova.

To extend the service life of components exposed to corrosive environments, the MISIS team proposed applying an amorphous coating based on a high-entropy alloy with added boron, using the method of electro-spark alloying.

Konstantin Kuptsov, PhD in Engineering, Senior Researcher at the MISIS-ISMAN Research and Education Center for Self-Propagating High-Temperature Synthesis, explains: “An amorphous structure is a state of matter where atoms are arranged randomly, without a clear crystalline lattice. This disorder makes the material more resistant to corrosion, since aggressive environments cannot easily penetrate its structure. We created a material with characteristics comparable to stainless steel, but up to four times harder. Such coatings can extend the lifetime of equipment operating in seawater — for example, pumping systems, impellers, valves, shafts, and more. In the long run, this will help companies reduce maintenance and repair costs.”

The properties and structure of the coating can be fine-tuned by varying the alloy composition and post-processing conditions. In some cases, the coating is optimized for strength and corrosion resistance, making it suitable for parts that are constantly submerged in water. In others, it is made especially hard to provide better protection against friction and wear. The results have been published in Materials Today Communications (Q1) and Journal of Alloys and Compounds (Q1).

“The development of high-entropy materials, including amorphous ones, is a highly promising area of modern materials science. They are characterized by high hardness and effectively resist wear, corrosion, and aggressive environments — from chemical factors such as seawater salts to atmospheric and thermal effects,” said Professor Dmitry Shtansky, Dr. Phys.-Math.Sci., Head of the Department of Powder Metallurgy and Functional Coatings, and Director of the NUST MISIS Center for Inorganic Nanomaterials.

The research was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant No. 20-79-10104-П).

Iron contained in recycled aluminum significantly limits its applications, as it forms brittle compounds that make the material unsuitable for high-stress components. To address this, MISIS scientists neutralized iron’s negative impact by binding it into a stable compound through calcium alloying followed by heat treatment.

“The innovations developed at NUST MISIS, the country’s leading university in advanced technologies and materials, are successfully applied across knowledge-intensive industries — from biomedicine to aviation and space. The new alloy created by our researchers combines the lightness and strength typical of aerospace materials. Thanks to its high eutectic content and stable structure, it also shows strong potential for use in 3D printing technologies,” NUST MISIS Rector Alevtina Chernikova.

“When iron appears in an aluminum alloy, it often forms sharp, needle-like crystals that make the metal brittle. Calcium addition, however, promotes the formation of a special eutectic phase and ensures a stable structure,” Dr. Torgom Akopyan, Senior Researcher at the Department of Metal Forming at NUST MISIS.

The team demonstrated that the alloy develops a new calcium-containing quaternary compound with a cubic crystal lattice and compact morphology. This enabled the production of deformed billets free of cracks and other defects. The results are published in the Journal of Alloys and Compounds (Q1).

Dr. Nikolai Belov, Chief Researcher at the Department of Metal Forming at NUST MISIS, added: “The proposed material offers an excellent balance of mechanical and processing properties, which opens up a wide range of potential applications. In the long term, it could replace the currently used wrought alloy AK4-1 (2618), which is poorly suited for 3D printing.”

The alloy’s eutectic microstructure helps reduce the risk of hot cracking during layer-by-layer solidification — a key advantage when 3D printing large parts. Industrial adoption of this development could significantly reduce production costs. Going forward, the team plans to introduce manganese, silicon, and trace amounts of zirconium into the alloy to enhance heat resistance, corrosion resistance, and overall strength.

“Biomedical engineering is a rapidly growing field that demands the introduction of new technologies and products to the market. Researchers at NUST MISIS, led by the distinguished scientist Professor Sergey Prokoshkin, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, have patented a method for producing titanium shape-memory alloys via 3D printing. This breakthrough may pave the way for large-scale use of customized implants in orthopedics and traumatology. Laser printing ensures the precise reproduction of a medical device’s required geometry, while the modified material composition provides the necessary combination of physical, chemical, and biological properties for practical use,” Rector of NUST MISIS Alevtina Chernikova.

Personalized implants are one of the key priorities in biomedical materials science. For such applications, it is crucial not only to ensure strength and corrosion resistance but also to achieve mechanical behavior similar to that of natural bone tissue.

“Titanium alloys, including those with shape-memory and superelastic properties, often lose part of their functionality during additive manufacturing due to changes in chemical composition caused by powder atomization and laser melting. To address this, we deliberately adjusted the alloy composition at the melting stage, increasing titanium content while reducing zirconium and niobium. This compensated for titanium losses during subsequent processing and allowed us to achieve the target composition of Ti-18Zr-15Nb,” Professor Vadim Sheremetyev, Head of the Shape-Memory Alloys Laboratory at NUST MISIS.

Samples of the alloy produced by selective laser melting demonstrated a number of unique advantages. Notably, their elastic modulus is much closer to that of natural bone compared to conventional titanium alloys manufactured using traditional methods. Detailed results of the study are available in the journal Materials Letters (Q2).

“For the first time, this new approach enabled us to achieve superelasticity with high reversible strain in a next-generation biocompatible Ti-Zr-Nb alloy produced via selective laser melting. This is a significant result, since superelasticity is crucial for orthopedic implants exposed to cyclic loading and requiring high resilience after unloading. Looking ahead, we plan to develop personalized implants with tailored internal architectures designed for individual patients,” Professor Sergey Prokoshkin, Scientific Director of the Shape-Memory Alloys Laboratory at NUST MISIS.

Currently, alloy samples produced at the facilities of partner company KONMET LLC are undergoing preclinical testing. Following successful completion, the project will proceed to clinical trials.

The research was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (Project No. 22-79-10299-П) and carried out within the framework of the NUST MISIS strategic technological project Biomedical Materials and Bioengineering under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia’s Priority 2030 program.

Chronic and hard-to-heal wounds—such as burns and severe injuries often seen in disaster zones or combat conditions—are highly vulnerable to infection, especially from bacteria resistant to most modern antibiotics. Infections caused by these microorganisms can have severe consequences, while conventional dressings are unable to both protect complex wounds from microbes and accelerate their healing.

“Researchers at MISIS, led by one of the world’s leading materials scientists, Professor Dmitry Shashnkov, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences and Director of the Inorganic Nanomaterials Research Center, have created a dressing designed primarily for severe injuries in conditions where medical help is limited. It is made of a nanofiber material—an ultra-thin membrane with fibers hundreds of times thinner than a human hair. This innovative patch, which has already passed clinical trials, can reduce blood loss by nearly four times compared to standard dressings, accelerate wound healing, and destroy a wide spectrum of bacterial strains. It also shows promise for treating diabetic ulcers and severe burns,” MISIS Rector Alevtina Chernikova.

The membrane is produced from biodegradable polycaprolactone, reinforced with copper oxide nanoparticles and additionally treated with the antibiotics neomycin and bacitracin.

“Polycaprolactone was chosen for its biocompatibility, strength, and ability to mimic the extracellular matrix that promotes tissue regeneration. The nanofibers were obtained using electrospinning with copper oxide nanoparticles. As a result, the membranes demonstrate high mechanical strength — up to ~12 MPa in tensile tests, exceeding the performance of many commercial dressings,” Kristina Kotyakova, PhD in Engineering Sciences and researcher at the MISIS Inorganic Nanomaterials Research Center.

In animal tests, the new dressing reduced blood loss by a factor of 4.6 compared to conventional materials. Researchers from Lomonosov Moscow State University and the State Research Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology confirmed the material’s strong antibacterial and antifungal activity, noting high efficacy against antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” such as Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus, and the fungus Candida auris. The findings were published in Chemical Engineering Journal (Q1).

Authors claim the study opens new opportunities in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria and may find applications both in field conditions and in hospitals. Expanded preclinical and clinical trials are planned in the near future. The team already has a strategic partner — the Russian company “KroveStop,” which specializes in products for bleeding control.

The research was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (No. 24-79-10121) and carried out as part of MISIS’s strategic technological project Biomedical Engineering and Biomaterials under the Russian Ministry of Education and Science’s Priority-2030 program.

While commercial detectors are widely used to monitor substances in various environments, many current devices are either bulky, prone to inaccuracies due to temperature and humidity fluctuations, or rely on electrical currents that pose a risk of sparks and explosions. Industrial settings require reliable gas leak detection systems, and the medical field needs portable tools for rapid breath-based glucose analysis in diabetic patients.

The compact and precise gas detector was developed by a team of researchers from NUST MISIS, Skoltech, Moscow Pedagogical State University, HSE University, the National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology named after Academician V. I. Kulakov, and Saratov State University. Their solution involves applying a layer of silicon dioxide nanospheres onto a photonic chip, which is a structure resembling a porous sponge. When gas molecules enter the gaps between the spheres, capillary condensation occurs, altering the light’s optical path, which is easily detected at the output.

“Imagine spreading a perfectly even layer of sand on sticky tape, which changes color upon contact with a certain substance. We did the same thing but at the nanoscale and for high-precision measurements,” said Alexey Kuzin, researcher at the Laboratory of Photonic Gas Sensors at NUST MISIS.

Irina Florya, an engineer at the same lab, added: “When gas molecules penetrate the porous structure of nanospheres on our silicon nitride optical chip and condense there, this causes shifts in the resonant frequencies of our devices, which we can successfully read using laser light traveling through waveguides.”

A key challenge was ensuring uniform layer application without clumping or gaps to maintain measurement accuracy. To achieve this, the researchers used microfluidic technology, which involves miniature channels to guide fluid flow. This method enabled one of the best coverage rates among gas detectors — 59% density of the silicon nanosphere layer. The new sensors are highly sensitive, resistant to environmental interference, and remain compact. Full details of the study are published in Nanoscale (Q1).

“Our goal was not only high accuracy but also manufacturability, so these sensors could be mass-produced and widely used. We hope to soon move from lab prototypes to fully functional products,” concluded Vadim Kovalyuk, Head of the Laboratory of Photonic Gas Sensors at NUST MISIS.

In the future, the detectors could be used in medicine for rapid, non-invasive breath analysis, for instance, detecting acetone (a diabetes marker) or ethanol, as well as in industrial safety and urban pollution monitoring.

“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.

In modern medicine, there is a demand for bandages and patches that not only protect damaged tissues from infection but also actively participate in the healing process: delivering drugs while not disrupting the function of healthy cells. These materials must combine several properties: biocompatibility, moisture resistance, strength, and porosity.

The new solution was presented by researchers from the NUST MISIS, Skoltech, and the A. N. Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences. They used electrospinning technology: a solution of polyvinyl alcohol with aluminum oxide is sprayed through a very fine needle. Under high voltage, the liquid “shoots” as a jet, dries in the air, and settles as ultra-thin fibers that layer on top of one another.

“The key task was to obtain fibers as thin as possible because the thinner the fiber, the larger the total surface area of the material, which is especially important for adsorption, drug release, and interaction with tissues. We have created a model that accurately predicts the thickness of the fibers. This is critical for reproducibility and further scaling of the technology,” said Mohamad Ibrahim, a scientist of the Accelerated Particles Laboratory at MISIS.

The researchers carefully selected process parameters — voltage, distance between the needle and receiver, concentration of aluminum oxide — and reduced the average diameter of the fibers to 178 nanometers. Since pure polyvinyl alcohol dissolves easily in water and poorly holds its shape, specialists added a crosslinking agent to the aluminum oxide nanoparticles, after which the material retained its structure even after soaking. The details are published in the journal Emergent Materials (Q2).

“The resulting composite has properties that were previously difficult to combine in a single material: water resistance, biocompatibility, high surface area, and mechanical stability. By using different compositions, it is possible to create materials for a variety of applications. This opens the way to the development of next-generation medical bandages with drug delivery, disinfection, and hemostatic capabilities,” noted Alexey Salimon, head of the Department of Physical Chemistry at NUST MISIS.

Biotests confirmed that the aluminum oxide composite is safe for human connective tissue cells. This development is promising not only for creating bandage materials. In collaboration with the College of Biomedical Engineering at NUST MISIS, staff from the Department of Physical Chemistry plan to create matrices for skin regeneration as well.

The work is supported by a grant under the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia’s “Priority-2030” program (project No. K1-2022-032).

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.

The development of bioresorbable — gradually degrading in the body — iron-based alloys for temporary medical implants is becoming increasingly relevant. These materials don’t need to be removed after the injury heals, which means patients can avoid additional operations and benefit from shorter recovery periods and reduced disability time. However, the number of non-toxic elements that can be added to medical alloys is very limited.

Researchers from the IMET RAS, NUST MISIS, N. N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology, Lebedev Physical Institute, IOF RAS, Belgorod State University, and the Liaoning Academy of Materials investigated how silicon and high-pressure processing affect the microstructure and biodegradation of iron-manganese alloys. To achieve the desired structure, the samples were processed by high-pressure torsion — under pressure nearly 60,000 times atmospheric — with temperature variations during treatment.

Experiments revealed that under high pressure, silicon promoted martensitic transformation — a process in which all atoms shift simultaneously relative to each other by less than an interatomic distance. The resulting martensitic structure, induced by the addition of silicon, was found to double the degradation rate of the alloy samples. This means a medical implant made from this material could fully dissolve within 1–2 years. The results were published in Crystals (Q2).

The researchers plan to scale up the development to create prototypes for clinical trials in animals and humans. The materials show great potential for use in orthopedics, maxillofacial surgery, oncology, and veterinary medicine.

The research was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation.

Currently, the most common type of superconducting qubits is the transmon. The world’s leading quantum processors developed by companies like Google and IBM are based on this architecture. However, transmons have limitations in coherence time and gate fidelity due to both technological and design constraints. As an alternative, researchers worldwide are exploring new types of superconducting qubits, such as fluxoniums, which offer greater noise resilience and longer coherence times (meaning more stable and synchronized quantum oscillations).

“Testing of the samples showed high operation fidelity — 99.993%, which exceeds the best figures for transmons. A key factor contributing to this precision was the short duration of control pulses — only 6 nanoseconds, which is several times shorter than for transmons,” said Tatyana Chudakova, engineer of the Laboratory of Superconductor Quantum Technologies at NUST MISIS and researcher at the Russian Quantum Center.

Currently, the team is focusing on scaling up fluxonium-based circuits and improving coherence time. Mastering the production technology for fluxoniums opens new prospects for the development of domestic quantum processors.

“NUST MISIS and INME RAS possess technological and experimental expertise in chip design for quantum processors. As a result of this joint work, we have developed a unique technology and experimental fluxonium qubit samples with record-setting precision on par with global industry leaders. High fidelity at the 99.99% level will allow us to significantly boost the performance of quantum computers,” noted head of the Research Laboratory for Quantum Technologies at INME RAS Mikhail Tarkhov.

The development of superconducting quantum circuits is underway at NUST MISIS as part of the strategic technological project Quantum Internet under the Priority 2030 program. The design and implementation of superconducting quantum processors at the university is supported by the State Corporation Rosatom within the framework of the Quantum Computing roadmap (contract No. 868-1.3-15/15-2021 dated October 5, 2021).

Modern chemistry and materials science increasingly face challenges that require precise modeling of electron behavior in molecules. These calculations are critical for designing new materials, but even supercomputers often struggle to simulate complex molecules with the required accuracy

One of the most promising approaches for such tasks is the variational quantum eigensolver — a hybrid algorithm designed for noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices. It works by iteratively finding the most stable molecular state through combined efforts of classical and quantum processors. However, the practical use of this algorithm in chemistry has been hindered by the excessive number of two-qubit operations, which are prone to errors and resource-intensive.

To address this, scientists from NUST MISIS and Kazan Federal University proposed an optimized version of the algorithm. Their approach significantly cuts down the computational cost of simulating real organic molecules without compromising accuracy

The team developed a new strategy: they reduced the number of measurements by excluding electrons that do not affect chemical properties, minimized the number of qubits, grouped operators, and simplified quantum circuits. The optimizations were first tested on simple molecules and later applied to more complex compounds such as methylamine and formic acid — substances important in biology as well as in the pharmaceutical, textile, and food industries. As a result, the number of two-qubit operations dropped from about 600,000 to just 12,000, while maintaining the required precision

“This research not only reduced the complexity of quantum calculations but also made it feasible to simulate organic molecules on today’s quantum hardware. In the future, quantum computing will become a practical tool for solving real-world problems in science and industry — from identifying promising drug candidates and designing new catalysts to developing advanced materials for batteries and fuel cells,” Dr. Alexey Fedorov, Director of the Institute for Physics and Quantum Engineering.

The full study is published in Quantum Reports. The research was carried out as part of the strategic technology project “Quantum Internet” at NUST MISIS, under the Priority 2030 program (Grant No. K1-2022-027).

Every person emits and reflects electromagnetic waves, including terahertz radiation, which lies between radio waves and visible light. In the early stages of disease, the temperature rises beneath the skin at the site of inflammation. To detect these structural and temperature changes, ultra-sensitive detectors can be used.

NUST MISIS scientists have patented a differential superconducting terahertz detector that functions like night vision. However, unlike conventional devices that only detect surface heating, this new device has a key advantage — it can register small areas of elevated body temperature even through clothing. The technology does not produce harmful radiation, such as X-rays, and could be applied in treating diseases where early detection significantly impacts therapy.

“The detector can extract a signal from background noise and visualize inflammation sites. The device can be compared to an ear: it can hear a rustle but cannot distinguish a person’s voice in a noisy crowd. In this case, background noise plays a bigger role than sensitivity. Alongside other diagnostic methods (MRI, radiography) this new technology will provide doctors with additional data. We are open to collaboration with medical centers and believe it could yield fruitful scientific results,” said the project’s lead researcher, D.Sc. Sergey Shitov, head of the Laboratory of Cryoelectronic Systems at NUST MISIS.

The device can be used for thermal mapping — prevention and diagnosis of diseases when symptoms are not yet obvious and pinpointing inflammation sites with other methods is difficult. Multiple detectors can be integrated into a medical device matrix to enable simultaneous observations at different frequencies.