Hanoi (VNA) - Professor Nguyen Dinh Duc from the University of Engineering and Technology under Vietnam Nati🐎onal University, Hanoi, has been honoured with the prestigious Bao Son Award, which recognises outstanding scientific research projects with significant practical value.

The award-winning project by Professor Duc is a collection of studies titled “Research and Application of Advanced Three-Phase Composite Materials and Structures in Engineering.” This marks the culmination of over 30 years of dedicated research and real-world application by the𝄹 professor.

Through persistent efforts, Professor Duc developed a new type of carbon-carbon composite material with a three-phase, spatial structure. This material demonstrates exceptional mechanical strength, remarkable thermal endurance, and ultra-light weight. These characteristics of composite materials are important in industry and national defence, particularly in missile manufacturing. His breakthrough addresses long-standing challenges in materials science, providing answers to questions that had previously stumped physicists and material engineers aiming to enhance the mechanical and physical properties of composite materials. As early as 2012, Professor Duc partnered with the Institute of Shipbuilding Research under Nha Trang University to successfully apply three-phase polymer composites (incorporating titanium oxide particles) as a waterproofing solution in dockyards. This invention earned a patent from the National Office of Intellectual Property in 2016. Leveraging these scientific advances, the Institute improved product quality and competitiveness, continually growing and producing over 60 composite vessels for fishing logistics, generating total revenues exceeding 300 billion VND (11.5 million USD). According to the 2024 Bao Son Award Committee, Professor Duc’s research on spatially structured three-phase composites demonstrates high academic and practical value, showcasing the capabilities of Vietnamese scientists in the advanced materials field. His work not only excels in scientific depth and practical application but has also laid the foundation for a Vietnamese research school in three-phase composites that is now internationally recognised. Professor Duc has also played a pivotal role in developing Vietnam’s next generation of researchers, successfully mentoring numerous Ph.D. candidates. His protégés continue to explore diverse industrial applications of advanced three-phase composites, including in modern shipbuilding and other sectors. Over his scientific career, Professor Duc has published nearly 400 scientific works, including over 220 papers in ISI-listed international journals. Specifically, in the area of three-phase composites, he has authored over 30 studies, with more than 20 appearing in leading ISI-listed journals. For six consecutive years (since 2019), he has been listed among the world’s top 10,000 most impactful researchers and ranked 78th globally in the field of Engineering and Technology in 2024. He is also a member of editorial boards for several ISI-listed scientific journals. Upon receiving the Bao Son Award, Professor Duc described it as a profound source of encouragement for his team to continue the pursuit of scientific excellence, transforming research into tangible contributions to society and national development. Looking ahead, the professor plans to explore new materials with exceptional properties such as pentagraphene, auxetics, and composites reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene. These materials offer superior mechanical strength, thermal and electrical conductivity, and are expected to serve applications in electronics, renewable energy, data storage, aerospace, and especially in leveraging artificial intelligence to solve complex engineering problems./.