Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 65 Researchers' "Magic Weapon"

When the door to the changing room was pushed open, Professor Jiang straightened his white coat with a sprightly air. His gaze, behind his glasses, swept over the dozen or so explosion-proof gas cylinders stacked on the experimental table next to the high-pressure reactor.

"Pfft~"

Liu Mingzhen filled another set of gaseous electrolytes generated under supercritical conditions into the explosion-proof tank through the discharge port.

Previously, Professor Jiang did not know the specific production process parameters and could only use the common laboratory glove box integrated system, which took 8 hours to produce a set of gaseous electrolytes.

"Xiao Chen!" Professor Jiang looked curiously at the synthesis control model running on the computer in front of him: "This is your control model for synthesizing gaseous electrolytes in a supercritical autoclave, right?"

Professor Jiang had already read through countless documents on gaseous lithium batteries, and naturally he remembered the supercritical synthesis technology of gaseous electrolytes proposed by Chen Mo.

However, this was the first time Professor Jiang had seen it implemented in the production process.

This explains why, even if many of our technologies are leaked in later generations, foreign countries can only replicate them in laboratories at most. To mass-produce them, you simply don't have the necessary production processes!

When the internal reference team wanted to mass-produce a certain metal nitride, didn't they also ask Chen Mo for a set of production process parameters for reference?

From the laboratory to mass production, there is a long and arduous process in between.

The internal report team is essentially feeling their way across the river by observing Chen Mo.

Professor Jiang pushed up his glasses, looking at the parameters flashing on the screen, and his cloudy eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Xiao Chen! Your thinking is really ahead of its time! You actually thought of using a high-pressure reactor to simulate a supercritical state!"

Professor Jiang finally learned that the supercritical synthesis of gaseous electrolytes uses a combination of a reactor and a control model, and that it is so fast, producing one set in about ten minutes.

He was so excited that the little finger of his right hand trembled slightly.

"Xiao Chen! Your idea is like blasting a new path out of the dead end of traditional glove box integration!"

Professor Jiang patted the autoclave and said with a kind smile, "Just your idea of ​​integrating electrolytes alone is absolutely enough to publish a scientific paper. Brilliant, truly brilliant!"

"Squeak~"

As Professor Jiang was clapping and praising Chen Mo without reservation, three groups of researchers outside saw Professor Jiang through the observation window and entered the laboratory one after another, each performing their respective duties.

"Xiao Chen! We have the electrolyte!" Professor Jiang took out his MOF-honeycomb battery structure design, including CAD drawings: "Let's try out the new structure now!"

Liu Mingzhen deftly handed the two protective goggles, and amidst the clanging of metal instruments, the three quickly got to work.

"Senior Sister Liu! Does the lab have an etching machine with a precision of 100 micrometers?" Chen Mo suddenly asked, staring at the design drawings.

Liu Mingzhen paused in tightening the screws, her almond-shaped eyes filled with confusion, and answered crisply, "No!"

Ah! Surely a national-level key laboratory can't be without a 100-micron etching machine.

Seeing the change in Chen Mo's expression, she slowly added her own explanation.

“Our lab doesn’t have an etching machine with such low precision. The lowest precision we have is the MSK-PSP-LSS1010 laser etching machine with a precision of 10 micrometers, which supports CAD direct guide and multi-layer etching at a speed of 200 mm/s.”

She pointed to the silver-gray equipment in the corner: "A little higher up is the 3-micron CPC-A type small plasma etching machine, which is three times more expensive than the one we use."

Chen Mo stood there stunned until Liu Mingzhen recited the equipment parameters in great detail, and only then did he react.

It's not that their lab doesn't have 100-micron etching machines, but rather that they have those "outdated" machines that were phased out years ago.

He gazed at the CPC-A plasma etching machine encased in a temperature-controlled chamber. Its dark gray exterior gleamed with a cold, hard metallic luster, and its intricate tubing, like mechanical blood vessels, exuded an aesthetic of industrial design.

This piece of equipment, which cost a staggering 380 million yuan in 2010, now stands quietly in the corner of the laboratory.

In his previous life, Chen Mo had only ever seen laser etching machines with a precision of 10 micrometers; as for plasma etching machines with a precision of 3 micrometers, those were just legends.

For grassroots researchers, high-precision auxiliary equipment is nothing short of a "divine weapon".

The value of this national key laboratory pass increased dramatically in Chen Mo's mind. If he were to develop second-generation batteries in the future, he would definitely have to come and use these facilities.

What researcher could resist the allure of such advanced research equipment? Money is indeed important, but for researchers, it becomes less urgent after a certain point.

On the contrary, laboratory conditions are the key focus for top researchers.

Even the most skilled cook can't cook without rice; no matter how amazing your technique, you still need the right equipment to unleash its full potential.

"A 3-micron plasma etching machine!"

Chen Mo, seeing an opportunity, hesitated for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbing, "Teacher Jiang! Can I give this a try?"

Professor Jiang laughed heartily and gestured with his chin towards Liu Mingzhen: "Little Liu! Take him to broaden his horizons!"

Liu Mingzhen led Chen Mo to the equipment, where the metal guardrail reflected a cold light.

"Teacher Chen! You have level one access, you can use it at any time."

After turning on the machine, the first thing to do is to inject the material. She brought up the operation interface and swiped her finger across the touch screen.

"Teacher Chen! This level of equipment is actually very easy to operate."

Liu Mingzhen's fingers flew across the keyboard as he imported the electronic version of the MOF-honeycomb structure CAD drawing into the operating system.

The next second, she suddenly grabbed Chen Mo's hand and led him to press the touch screen.

The warm touch from her palm, mixed with the deep hum of the device starting up, made Chen Mo stiffen. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her drooping eyelashes casting fine shadows under her eyes.

"The difficulty lies in parameter matching, just like carving a pattern on a grain of rice; fixing the grain of rice is the real challenge!"

Liu Mingzhen was completely unaware of his strange behavior, and heavily poked his index finger at a fluctuating number on the screen.

"You see, this temperature gradient must be accurate to 0.01℃. Too high a temperature will make the material brittle, and too low a temperature will prevent the honeycomb structure from forming."

"Gulu~"

Chen Mo's Adam's apple bobbed, and he belatedly realized that his palms were sweating.

He forced himself to focus back on the screen, but he couldn't help but be distracted by the warmth coming from his hands.

It wasn't until Liu Mingzhen suddenly turned her head that their noses almost touched, and the confusion in her eyes jolted him back to his senses.

"Teacher Chen?" Liu Mingzhen blinked. "What's wrong?"

"Ahem! It's a bit hot in the lab!" Chen silently withdrew his hand and adjusted his goggles.

He quickly followed the method Liu Mingzhen had taught him, pulled up the parameter table, and stared at the dense data to force himself to calm down.

"Continue with the operation. I've memorized the key points from before."

For the first three sets of experiments, Liu Mingzhen provided almost "personal guidance".

"Teacher Chen! The temperature curve must closely match the material's melting point; an error exceeding 0.1℃ will render all previous efforts futile!"

After Chen Mo completed the 17th etching independently, he suddenly felt a sense of relief.

I don't know if it's because the battery design is complete, or because I no longer need Liu Mingzhen's "close" guidance.

Chen Mo was unaware of the proper use of the plasma etching machine, so Liu Mingzhen provided "close guidance" to avoid risks, simply to facilitate the cessation of dangerous operations.

Twenty MOF-honeycomb structures lie neatly in the tray, their pearly white color reflecting the light and revealing a hint of iridescent hue.

Back in the main laboratory of Group Three, Professor Jiang called on the researchers from Group Three to help fill the battery configuration with intermediate nitrides, and then inject the electrolyte and catalyst in a gradient during encapsulation.

Twenty gaseous lithium batteries using the new MOF-honeycomb configuration were created in three laboratories.

(End of this chapter)