Material contribution: at the AMTEXPO forum, they talked about the materials of the future

Innovative materials and technologies for the Russian industry were discussed by scientists, entrepreneurs and government representatives at the AMTEXPO forum, a key communication platform for the national project "New Materials and Chemistry". The forum was organized on the initiative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, the Kurchatov Institute Research Center is a strategic partner. Read more about the developments that were presented at the forum in the Izvestia article.

New electric vehicle and engine for giant airplanes

The III International Forum of New Materials "AMTEXPO-2026" was held in Moscow at the National Center "Russia" on January 27. The participants are leading Russian scientists, entrepreneurs, and government officials.

The main goal of the national project "New Materials and Chemistry", which was launched last year, is to achieve technological sovereignty in the creation of critically important materials. According to the project, more than 130 new high-tech industries will appear in Russia in the next five years.

— Russia is successful in materials primarily due to its advanced fundamental science. Why are we the first in the nuclear space industry, which today retains our sovereignty? Why have we always been the first in many areas and continue to maintain leadership? Because we learned how to create materials, and we had and still have a powerful fundamental science, which is very developed and diversified," said Mikhail Kovalchuk, President of the Kurchatov Institute National Research Center. He opened the forum by moderating the plenary session "Chemistry and Materials – the foundation of technological leadership."

Mikhail Kovalchuk recalled that the Kurchatov Institute Research and Development Center is one of the world's largest materials science centers, and as part of the national project, the Head Competence Center in the field of materials and technologies was created on its basis.

Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov, who participated in the meeting, noted that today any innovation is somehow related to materials, and the ability of the state to provide itself with them is the main condition for technological sovereignty and leadership. And the restrictions imposed on Russia in the technological sphere often contribute to growth: the need to replace imports stimulates the development of breakthrough domestic developments.

— For example, after restricting access to foreign composites, we had problems with natural fiber for the MC-21 aircraft. We have solved this problem, and the experience gained has formed the basis for the localization of many components of aviation equipment. Including for unmanned systems," the minister gave an example.

Anton Alikhanov presented other examples of technological achievements in his speech. Thus, the domestic PD-35 ultra-high-thrust turbofan engine, designed for giant aircraft, is in a high state of readiness. A demonstrator of this power plant with a thrust of 37 tons has already been created; the next goal of the developers is to reach 50 tons. And the first Russian electric car, Atom, is due to go on sale this year.

Alloy for a nuclear tug and a hydrogen locomotive

Andrey Nikitin, Minister of Transport, spoke about the work on another "novelty": the Moscow—St. Petersburg high-speed railway is one of the most ambitious projects in modern Russia. As part of the construction of this facility, domestic specialists are developing a wide range of new materials and technologies.

— We are the first in the world to build such a road in such climatic conditions — no high—speed railway goes so far north, - Andrey Nikitin emphasized. — The Ministry of Transport should become not just a user, but a full customer in terms of materials — we must learn how to formulate our requests to science.

Kirill Lipa, General Director of Transmashholding JSC, developed the topic of innovation on railways. According to him, the main area of development is related to improving the energy efficiency and safety of rolling stock. In particular, one of the promising solutions is the use of graphite—based composites. Economical and compact electric motors based on permanent magnets are also being developed.

In addition, Kirill Lipa spoke about the development of a hydrogen fuel cell locomotive. It's not a massive solution yet, but this technology has a promising niche. Experts believe that on non-electrified sections of railways, "hydrogen" locomotives will be able to compete with diesel engines.

Dmitry Bakanov, General Director of Roscosmos, also spoke about the material science tasks in his field. Within the framework of the federal project "Space Atom", a tugboat for deep space with a nuclear propulsion system is being created.

— For this project, in which the strength characteristics of materials are critically important, specialists from the Kurchatov Institute have developed a molybdenum alloy hardened with titanium carbide ceramics, designed for the engine. The material can withstand up to +1200 degrees and can work for up to ten years. We will implement these solutions this year. Most of the engine will be made using 3D printing," said the head of the state corporation.

In general, according to Dmitry Bakanov, over the past five years, more than three dozen new materials have been mastered in Russian cosmonautics. These are alloys and composites, including powders for 3D printing. In particular, the use of innovative aluminum alloys in the design of the upper stages has reduced their weight by 10%. Also, the introduction of additive technologies into the production of the RD-191M engine for the Angara launch vehicle made it possible to reduce its mass by 15%.

A total of 14 sessions were held within the framework of the AMTEXPO forum. Among the topics discussed were the creation of new materials for aviation and the navy, transport and electronics, energy and medicine. The forum is intended to become a key communication platform for the national project "New Materials and Chemistry", where issues related to its implementation can be discussed by all parties involved: science, industry, government agencies and business.