Last week, KNRTU hosted the IV All-Russian Conference with International Participation "Modern Methods of Material Production, Surface Treatment, and Coating Application". The conference was organized by the Department of Plasma Chemical Technologies for Nanomaterials and Coatings.

This annual conference brought together more than 100 abstracts from researchers from all over the country and abroad. The forum is traditionally proud of its wide geography: young scientists from leading universities and research institutes in Moscow (the N. N. Semenov Federal Research Center for Chemical Physics, the A. A. Baikov Institute of Metallurgy, the Kurchatov Institute, the N. L. Dukhov All-Russian Research Institute of Aviation Materials, the N. S. Enikolopov Institute of Synthetic Polymer Materials, and others) as well as from Tomsk, Ivanovo, Almetyevsk, Tver, Dubna, and Donetsk, as well as colleagues from Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Uzbekistan, presented their developments and ideas. Kazan universities were represented by speakers from KNRTU-KAI, KSEU, KFU, and, of course, by scientists from KNRTU.

The program was quite eventful, with about 50 speakers presenting oral presentations. After the plenary sessions, which included presentations on materials science issues by industry experts and university leaders, the conference was divided into two locations: "Digital Horizon" and "Creative Space." In addition to oral presentations, there were also exhibits.

We would like to highlight the presence and active participation of members of the dissertation councils in the discussions, including the chairman of the council for the scientific specialty 2.6.17 Materials Science, Professor Lyudmila Abutalipova, who delivered a welcoming speech to the conference participants. For young researchers, the opportunity to present their work to experienced senior colleagues and engage in informal scientific discussions is crucial.

The second day of the conference brought together postgraduate students, undergraduate students, and school students. The day was opened by Gulnaz Rakhmatullina, Head of the Department of Physical and Technical Sciences. The aspiring researchers presented their research to the students and renowned scientists of our university.

The organizers separately note the successful growth of new generations of materials scientists. A fresh look was provided by graduate students and undergraduates, whose presentations highlighted the problematic points of science from different angles, but the highlight of the conference was a speech by Viktor Zheltukhinon the use of artificial intelligence in materials science. This report caused a lively debate in the audience.

According to our Moscow colleagues, the value of this event lies in ensuring the continuity of generations, as well as in the fact that academic science meets the real sector of the economy here. The fact that industrialists came to listen to postgraduate students, and scientists came to learn about factory solutions, indicates that the conference was a success. The conference participants included representatives of industry-specific companies such as Ferri Watt LLC, Tex-Center, Plazma-VST, and Composite116.

Among the topics that aroused the audience's particular interest were the study of the adhesion of nickel coatings obtained on copper-niobium wire using magnetron sputtering, the creation of a selective gas-separation layer on the surface of polyvinyltrimethylsilane films in a direct current discharge, the production of CsPb(Br1-xClx)3 single crystals using a low-temperature solution method, the effect of air-heat treatment on the structure and corrosion resistance of biocompatible TiNi-based cast alloys, the use of graphene oxide as a component of chrome-saving leather technologies, and others.

As a result of the event, an electronic collection of materials will be issued, indexed in the RSCI, and the best reports will be recommended for publication in peer-reviewed journals. The winners of the report competition will receive diplomas and letters of appreciation.

The next forum will be an anniversary event, and the organizers hope that it will expand its scope.