For an innovative method of processing TiNi alloy, a Vitebsk scientist received a presidential scholarship

Dmitry Bagrets, a research fellow at the Institute of Technical Acoustics of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, and one of three young Vitebsk researchers awarded a presidential scholarship, is studying the properties, manufacturing technologies, and processing of TiNi shape memory alloys, as well as the application of products made from them.

A feature of bimetallic compounds is their unique ability to return to their original shape under the influence of various external factors, such as temperature, pressure, and humidity. The study of this smart material, as well as the development of its practical applications, is the subject of research at the Institute of Technical Acoustics' Laboratory of Metal Physics, where the young scientist works.

Dmitry Bagrets joined the Institute of Technical Acoustics as a design engineer in 2008 after graduating from the Vitebsk Technological University. He also engaged in scientific activities, although initially he studied ultrasonic technologies and equipment. A year later, he decided to change his focus and became interested in shape memory alloys. Now, he is successfully realizing his research potential in this field. Dmitry has over 30 scientific papers published in domestic and foreign specialized journals and collections, a patent for an invention, and he also serves as the scientific secretary of the Institute of Technical Acoustics.

It is noteworthy that in 2017, declared the Year of Science in Belarus, the head of state issued an order to award the young man a special scholarship. He was honored with such high recognition for the development and implementation of a technology for applying protective and decorative coatings based on titanium nitride to dental products made of TiNi shape memory alloy. This technology ensures the necessary set of mechanical characteristics for these products and the formation of a barrier bioinert layer on their surface.

– The essence of the innovation lies in combining the shape memory setting and the application of a protective and decorative coating to the surface within a single technological cycle. The research work is based on a specific example – the manufacturing of an orthodontic arch for correction

of bite, but the technology can also be used for other medical devices, and its application in completely different industries is not excluded, – explains Dmitry.

It is thanks to talented researchers like him that modern advanced technologies enter everyday life and become an integral part of it.

Natalia Kamleva, "Vitebskiye Vesti". Photo BELTA.