Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University, Saint Petersburg, Russia:

A. G. Syrkov, Professor at the Department of General and Technical Physics, Doctor of Technical Sciences, e-mail: Syrkov_AG@pers.spmi.ru
A. B. Makhovikov, Director for Informatization of the International Competence Center in Mining and Engineering Education under the auspices of UNESCO, Candidate of Technical Sciences, e-mail: Makhovikov_AB@pers.spmi.ru
V. V. Tomaev, Associate Professor at the Department of General and Technical Physics, Candidate of Physics & Mathematics Sciences, e-mail: Tomaev_VV@pers.spmi.ru
V. V. Taraban, Associate Professor at the Department of Higher Mathematics, Candidate of Physics & Mathematics Science, e-mail: Taraban_VV@pers.spmi.ru

The authors of this paper analyzed some priority papers on nanotechnology and ultradispersed substances authored by professor of the Saint Petersburg Mining Institute Petr P. Weymarn (1879-1935), as well as some modern trends in the nanotechnology research conducted by the Mining University and in the 20-year long history of the International Conference “Nanophysics and Nanomaterials”. This is the first paper that considers Petr P. Weymarn’s publications devoted to highly dispersed non-ferrous metals (Cd, Ag, Cu, Te, Se) as objects that illustrate the basic laws of dispersoidology — the science “about the properties of surfaces and the processes occurring on them”. The paper stresses the key role that, according to Weymarn, the dispersion medium, in which metal particles occur, plays in the formation of surface properties of metal. The paper cites some research studies from the 21^st century that provide new data confirming the above statement. In particular, when solid-state hydride synthesis is used to produce nanostructured metal products. The authors looked at three major research areas with the Mining University in the field of nanotechnology and nanomaterials in terms of relevance, efficiency of implemented projects and world-class achievements. The first area of research is implemented by the Department of Metallurgy and involves the development of nanostructured master alloys with rare earth metals for obtaining light superplastic alloys. Research in the area of nanostructured highly hydrophobic metals and solid state synthesis techniques is carried out by the Department of General and Technical Physics together with the Mining University’s Centre for Problems of Processing Mineral Resources and Secondary Raw Materials. Research in the area of plasma technologies is also implemented by the Department of General and Technical Physics together with the Mining University’s research centres and a number of institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dissertations prepared in all three research areas, as well as the scientific discovery made, were tested at the Nanophysics & Nanomaterials International Conference, which took place at the Saint Petersburg Mining University. It would be fair to say that the above mentioned forum provides an excellent platform to exchange innovative knowledge in the field of nanomaterials, and serves to strengthen scientific ties with Russianspeaking specialists abroad, cherish the memory of outstanding nanotechnology scientists, explore and promote their heritage.

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