A 4th-year student of the SUSU Institute of Engineering and Technology is working on a project to create new oxide functional materials for a self-calibrating temperature meter and became one of the winners of the UMNIK competition, the project was supported by a grant for further work.
The purpose of Natalia Cherkasova’s work is to determine the influence of the ferrites' chemical composition on the change in the temperature of the magnetic phase transition (Curie temperature). The student also aims to select the most promising compositions for creating a self-calibrating temperature meter in which the calibration point is the magnetic phase transition. The creation of such a sensor is impossible without this material.
“The main difference of this project is the materials themselves and their use. Although the system has long been known it is still not fully understood. Understanding how the composition affects the physical characteristics of the final product will allow you to accurately select the material under the requirements of the future device. I would also like to note that these compositions have not previously been used in such devices,” Natalia says.
A self-calibrating temperature sensor can diagnose its condition and, if a discrepancy is detected, make a corrective correction to the measured value, thereby reducing the instrumental measurement error and the accuracy of temperature measurement increases. Such a smart device will be able to avoid errors associated with the aging of temperature sensors, which is the cause of disruption of the technological process and the release of defective products. Such devices will help make production more efficient.
“The greatest difficulty was deciding to apply for the competition, as this is a rather serious step for me. At this moment, the understanding comes that the idea has moved to a new stage. It is no longer just a theory but a full-fledged task that involves more responsibility. The elaboration of the project plan and the support of the environment helped me decide to participate in the competition. This summer I participated in the international school on smart composite materials at Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, and this issue was raised there. Then the speaker advised us to analyze our fears and doubts. Often the main reason for doubt is ignorance, however when there is a complete understanding, then there is no doubt left. The victory in this competition proves that everything is possible and you should not be afraid to participate in new projects, otherwise you can miss something interesting,” the student says.
Vladimir Zhivulin, Senior Researcher at the Laboratory of Crystal Growth, is the project manager. The work is carried out based on the Polytechnic Institute, the department of "Materials Science and Physical Chemistry of Materials", at the Research Educational Center Nanotechnologies and the Laboratory of Crystal Growth. The article is to be published in scientific journals.
South Ural State University is a university of transformation, where innovative research is carried out in most priority areas of science and technology development. Following the strategy of scientific and technological development of the Russian Federation, the university focuses on the development of large scientific interdisciplinary projects in the field of the digital industry, materials science, and ecology. In 2021, SUSU won the competition under the Priority 2030 program. The university performs the functions of a regional project office of the Ural Interregional Research Educational Center of the world level (UMNOC), designed to solve the tasks of the national project Science and Universities.
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