I started with a ship full of max-level veterans, and I'm just a complete noob.

Da Liu pressed the stopwatch, and the crisp click was particularly clear in the quiet workshop.

A direct current electric field is suddenly established in the microscopic world.

Jiang Ming stood in front of the control panel, his gaze piercing through the glass tank wall as he observed the activity inside.

In dimensions invisible to the naked eye, a wondrous migration is taking place.

Under the strong force of an 80-volt electric field, the positively charged submicron-sized cerium oxide particles broke free from their original suspended state.

Like a well-trained miniature army, they slowly swam towards the nickel-based surface of the negative electrode, overcoming the barrier of anhydrous acetone.

The milky white liquid began to undergo subtle changes around the electrodes, and the originally uniform color began to churn slightly.

Immediately afterwards, a strange pale blue fluorescence appeared faintly on the surface of the nickel substrate.

That is a weak discharge phenomenon caused by the accumulation of charge at the edge of the electrode plate.

Jiang Ming stared at the pale blue halo, and the [Record of Human Connections] silently opened deep within his consciousness.

The knowledge left behind by that pioneer in the field of materials interface physics has been transformed into countless tiny specks of light.

The derivation formulas of the electric double layer theory swept through his mind like a waterfall.

Zeta potential, solvent dielectric constant, ion mobility.

These dry symbols, which originally existed only on paper, now perfectly overlap with the churning liquid in front of them.

Jiang Ming felt an unprecedented sense of clarity.

He is no longer blindly applying other people's parameters, but is deeply integrating his physical intuition with the vast knowledge base granted by his cheat code.

He can directly determine the deposition rate of cerium oxide particles by the intensity of the pale blue fluorescence, and can even predict the arrangement of the coating at the microscopic level.

"Five minutes have passed."

Da Liu announced the time, his eyes fixed on the stopwatch dial.

The liquid in the glass tank remained clear and uniform, showing no signs of flocculation.

The scenario predicted by Hsu Chung-wen, where the device would break down within half a day, never occurred.

"Ten minutes."

Da Liu's voice grew louder, and the atmosphere in the workshop became even more tense.

Old Sun stood next to the rheostat, not daring to even breathe loudly.

He stared intently at the ammeter; the pointer was so steady it seemed rooted to the spot.

"Fifteen minutes."

Xiao Zhao leaned close to the glass tank, almost pressing his face against the glass.

"Jiang Gong."

Xiao Zhao pointed into the trough, his fingers trembling slightly.

"The color of the nickel base has changed."

Jiang Ming looked over.

The originally bright silver surface of the metal plate was now covered with a thin layer of white mist.

The layer of white mist continued to thicken over time, becoming so uniform that no flaws could be found.

"Don't touch the table."

Jiang Ming offered a reminder, his voice cold and hard.

"Any vibration will affect the tightness of the coating."

Xiao Zhao immediately put his hands behind his back.

He even slowed his breathing, afraid that if he breathed too loudly, he would blow away the layer of white mist.

The only sounds left in the workshop were the ticking of the clock on the wall and the faint mechanical clicking of the stopwatch in Da Liu's hand.

Time stretched on endlessly, each second testing the nerves of this group of people.

"19 minutes and 50 seconds."

Da Liu raised the stopwatch, his thumb hovering above the crown.

"Fifty-five seconds."

Fifty-eight.

"Fifty-nine."

"We'll be there in twenty minutes."

Da Liu pressed the stop button forcefully.

"Power outage."

Jiang Ming decisively gave the order.

Old Sun pulled the switch, and the electric field disappeared instantly.

The pale blue fluorescence that had surrounded the plates also disappeared.

Jiang Ming picked up a pair of long medical stainless steel tweezers and walked to the top of the glass tank.

The tweezers tip is inserted into the acetone solution to firmly grip the top edge of the nickel substrate.

Instead of pulling it up immediately, he paused for three or four seconds, allowing the liquid on the surface of the plate to drip slowly.

Then, he exerted force with his wrist and slowly pulled the cathode plate, which carried everyone's hopes, out of the liquid.

The air seemed to freeze at that moment.

Old Sun and Little Zhao both gathered around, their eyes fixed on the metal plate in Jiang Ming's hand.

The originally bare nickel-based surface is now covered with a perfect milky white coating.

The color was so pure, without a single impurity, like the first frost that condenses on a windowpane on a cold winter morning.

It is even and smooth, with no brush marks or buildup left by hand-scraping.

"Put it under the microscope."

Jiang Ming placed the electrode plate flat on a tray lined with clean filter paper and pushed it toward Xiao Zhao.

Xiao Zhao picked up the tray and ran to the testing station.

He carefully fixed the electrode plate onto the stage and wiped the eyepiece of the monocular microscope again and again.

Xiao Zhao closed one eye, brought the other eye close to the eyepiece, and turned the coarse focus knob with his right hand.

The scene in the field of view gradually became clear.

Countless tiny cerium oxide particles are tightly packed together, like well-trained soldiers forming an indestructible square.

There are no large bumps or uncovered holes.

Xiao Zhao picked up a brass micrometer.

This ruler is the most precise measuring tool in the factory.

He began taking measurements point by point at different locations on the electrode.

Top left corner, center point, bottom right edge.

For each point measured, he would write down a number on a piece of scrap paper with a pencil.

The entire testing station was so quiet that the only sound was the scratching of a pencil across paper.

Old Sun stood behind Little Zhao.

He couldn't understand the complicated readings, but he could see the increasingly redness on Xiao Zhao's neck.

After measuring the last point, Xiao Zhao put down the micrometer.

He stared at the densely packed data on the scrap paper for a full half minute.

"How is it?"

Da Liu couldn't help but urge him on, wringing his hands anxiously.

"Say something!"

Xiao Zhao looked up at Jiang Ming, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Jiang Gong."

"The total area thickness deviation has been calculated."

Xiao Zhao grabbed the piece of scrap paper, his hand trembling so much that the paper was rustling.

"±0.3 micrometers".

"It's even more precise than the plus or minus half a micrometer you requested, and it perfectly meets your requirements."

A low growl, barely suppressed by Da Liu, erupted from the workshop.

He swung his fist forcefully, slamming it against the metal cabinet next to him with a loud clang.

Old Sun didn't shout.

He slowly walked to the testing table and looked down at the electrophoresis cathode lying on the filter paper.

The old fitter had spent his whole life doing manual work; his hands could file tolerances down to a precision of a few microns.

But he knew very well that no matter how steady a person's hand was, it was impossible to scrape off a coating of plus or minus three micrometers.

This is an industrial divide that craftsmanship cannot overcome.

Old Sun stretched out his rough right hand, wanting to touch the miraculous layer of white frost.

But the finger stopped in mid-air.

He looked at the stubborn black grime from the engine oil under his fingernails, then at the pristine, clean coating.

Old Sun withdrew his hand and vigorously rubbed it on his dusty work pants.

In the end, he still didn't dare to touch that industrial artwork.

"It's done."

Old Sun's eyes were a little red, and his voice was hoarse.

"Xiao Jiang, we really cracked this tough nut."

Jiang Ming walked over.

Unlike the others, he did not get excited; his gaze remained absolutely calm.

Don't get too excited yet.

Jiang Ming picked up the tray and put the electrode plate back into the dust cover.

"The electrophoretic coating is indeed perfect, but that's only at room temperature."

Xiao Zhao's smile faltered, and he stood there, stunned.

"What do you mean?"

"sintering."

Jiang Ming looked at the vacuum annealing furnace in the corner of the workshop.

The indicator light on that old piece of equipment glowed red in the dim light.

"Nitrocellulose was added to the suspension as a binder, and the tubes must be sintered at high temperature after assembly."

"The adhesive will decompose and volatilize at high temperatures."

Jiang Ming paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the workshop.

"If the evaporation rate is too fast, tiny pores that are invisible to the naked eye will appear in this perfect coating."

"Once pores form, the lifespan of the cathode will still be significantly reduced under long-term operation."

Old Sun's expression turned serious, and he put his hands back in his pockets.

"Then all that electrophoresis we did was for nothing?"

"It wasn't all for nothing."

Jiang Ming fastened the dust cover, making a crisp snapping sound.

"At least we've crossed the first hurdle. Next, we just need to find the right sintering temperature profile."

Jiang Ming turned and walked to the blackboard, picked up the chalk and drew a stepped coordinate graph on it.

"Old Sun, go and prepare three spare tubes of glass bulbs and cores."

"Xiao Zhao, perform electrophoresis on all the remaining nickel substrates."

Jiang Ming threw the chalk stub into the chalk box and brushed the white dust off his hands.

"Everyone is working overtime tonight to conduct our first stepped sintering test."