KBSU scientists have obtained materials that can replace metals

KBSU scientists together with other Russian researchers have obtained environmentally friendly polymer-based materials that can fully replace metals in medicine, aviation, automotive industry and other industries. This was reported by the university press service.

Modern industry is constantly looking for ways to reduce the weight of metal structures without losing their strength. Such solutions are especially in demand in aviation, where every kilogram of excess weight increases fuel consumption, as well as in medicine, said researchers from the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after Kh.M. Berbekov (KBSU). However, existing materials are often inferior to metals in terms of heat resistance and mechanical strength, which limits the possibility of their use.

KBSU scientists have obtained polymer materials that can solve this problem. They can operate in extreme temperature conditions: from — 100 to + 300 °C. In addition, the new materials are 70 percent lighter than titanium, 50 percent lighter than aluminum and 80 percent lighter than steel.

Our materials can replace metals in various industries, from medicine to aircraft manufacturing, significantly reducing the weight of products. For example, replacing 15 thousand metal clamps in an airplane with polymer analogs saves more than 2 million rubles in fuel costs and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 80 tons per year,

— said Svetlana Khashirova, vice-rector for Research at KBSU.

According to her, the proposed new method of processing production is based on the adaptation of powder injection molding (PIM) technology for polymer materials. This method allows the use of high-molecular polymer powders as raw materials, which are very difficult to process using traditional methods. Powder injection molding technology was previously used only for metals and ceramics.

This approach to processing is environmentally friendly, it eliminates waste, reduces time and expands the possibilities of manufacturing plastic parts, and the materials themselves are suitable for recycling, the authors of the study said.

During the research, the scientists used powder casting for such high-temperature polymer powders as polyether ketones and polysulfones, including polyether ether ketones (PEEK) and polyphenylene sulfones (PPSU), which are already used in aviation and medicine. The uniqueness of the KBSU researchers’ method is that it allows processing valuable ultra-high-molecular polymer powders into complex-shaped products.

We have determined the optimal conditions for sintering polymer powders, which made it possible to create products of complex geometry. This opens up new opportunities for the production of parts that cannot be obtained using traditional methods such as injection molding or extrusion,

— said Azamat Slonov, senior researcher at the KBSU center for Advanced Materials and Additive Technologies.

The scientists’ immediate plans include bringing 10 medical grades of polymers to market. The developed materials, due to their strength, are suitable for repeated sterilization, and will also make it possible to create lightweight instruments that can facilitate the work of surgeons during lengthy operations. Such materials are not yet produced in Russia.

The research is being conducted jointly with the A.V. Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IPCS RAS).

The work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, grant number 23-69-10001.

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