Founded on July 6, 1961.
Its main lines of research activities are:
- studies of high-pressure effects on materials; employing high pressures in production processes;
- investigations into physico-chemical processes of producing monocrystalline, dispersed, and film-like superhard materials over a wide range of temperatures and pressures; development of new production technologies for nanopowders, ceramic and composite materials, and products made of them;
- studies towards scientific principles of developing efficient processes of machining metals and non-metallic materials with tools made of superhard materials (SHM); elaboration of methods and processes of SHM applications in basic branches of industry; studies of thermodynamics and kinetics of contact interactions between SHM tools and workpieces of metals, ceramics and other materials.
Major research achievements and developments:
The team of the Institute was the first in the USSR to develop a commercial technology of synthesizing diamond, cubic boron nitride and other SHM, to start mass production of SHM tools and their wide application in industry. For these achievements in 1963 the Institute was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour and 46 of its employees were honoured with high government awards. V. N. Bakul, the founder and first director of the Institute, was awarded the high title of Socialist Labour Hero and received the Order of Lenin.
Today NAS V. N. Bakul Institute for Superhard Materials is a leading world-famous center of research in materials science.
Here, under the guidance of NAS academician M. V. Novikov, fundamental investigations have been conducted into physico-chemical processes of phase transformations in materials, induced by high pressures and temperatures; elaborated have been scientific principles of monitoring the synthesis of superconducting diamonds, diamond-like films and coatings, alongside with production of perfect large diamond single crystals; developed have been novel superconducting nanostructural materials that have record-setting high critical current density and mechanical characteristics.
The Institute’s intellectual property assets consist of 125 monographs, over 7,000 research papers, more than 3,000 author’s certificates and patents, 198 of which have been secured in the last 5 years. The Institute has concluded and implemented 20 license agreements. Its employees have been awarded 49 doctor-of-science degrees and 289 candidate-of-science degrees. Since 1979 the Institute has issued the “Sverkhtverdye Materialy” (“Superhard Materials”) scientific and theoretical journal, whose English version is published in the USA, and since 1997, the “Instrumentalny Svit” (“World of Instruments”) R&D, publicity and information journal has been issued as well.
