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To thoroughly practice the concept of technological innovation, closely align with the national strategic layout in the field of materials science, and stimulate teachers and students' innovative vitality and exploration spirit in cutting-edge materials research, the School of Materials Science and Engineering successfully held the 12th MSE Lecture Forum at 9:00 on Saturday, October 25, 2025, in Lecture Hall 417 of the Institute of Advanced Ceramics, Building C3, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) Science Park. The forum specially invited Professor Viswanathan S. Saji, a Second-Class Researcher from the Interdisciplinary Research Center for Advanced Materials at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Saudi Arabia, to deliver an exciting academic report titled Smart Coatings: Types, Fundamentals and Advances. The report was hosted by Professor Wang Yaming from the School of Materials Science and Engineering, with numerous student representatives gathering to participate in this academic feast.
Professor Viswanathan S. Saji has profound attainments and remarkable scientific research achievements in electrochemistry, corrosion science, smart materials, electrochemical energy storage and conversion, and other related fields. He has published more than 100 SCI papers with a total of over 5,000 citations and participated in compiling 15 books. With his outstanding academic influence, Professor Saji has been repeatedly invited to deliver keynote reports at international academic conferences, obtained multiple international grants, and enjoys a high reputation in the academic community.
In the report, Professor Saji pointed out that among the numerous applications of smart materials, smart coatings have become a key cutting-edge field, thanks to their ability to autonomously respond to environmental stresses, thereby effectively extending the service life of materials. Among them, smart protective coatings, with their autonomous response to stimuli, are the core research direction in this field and can significantly prolong the service cycle of materials. Against the current industrial background, developing cost-effective and scalable smart coatings is crucial. This breakthrough is expected to revolutionize industries such as aerospace, energy, and petroleum, as material failures in these sectors can lead to enormous economic and safety risks.
Professor Saji detailed various forms of smart protective coatings, fully demonstrating their diversity, including self-healing coatings, self-warning coatings, self-healing-self-warning coatings, and embedded sensor coatings. The report provided a comprehensive overview of various smart coatings under different application scenarios, in-depth analyzed the challenges they face and their future development prospects, presenting a panoramic view of the smart coatings field for teachers and students.
During the interactive exchange session, the on-site academic atmosphere was strong. Students actively raised questions and conducted in-depth discussions with Professor Saji on the research difficulties of smart coatings, problems in practical applications, and future development directions. With profound academic knowledge and rich practical experience, Professor Saji gave detailed and in-depth answers to the questions raised by teachers and students, sparking constant collisions of ideas. Subsequently, on behalf of the school, Professor Wang Yaming presented Professor Saji with a commemorative album of HIT's Centennial Anniversary to express gratitude and respect for his wonderful report.
The successful holding of this forum has greatly stimulated teachers and students' research interest and exploration enthusiasm in the field of smart coatings, creating a more intense academic discussion atmosphere within the school. It not only lays a solid foundation for cultivating high-quality scientific research talents with innovative thinking and practical abilities but also injects strong momentum into promoting interdisciplinary research of the school in cutting-edge materials fields and helping the country achieve self-reliance and self-improvement in related scientific and technological fields.
October 25, 2025
