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Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in oicq.net -> Sci-fi -> Lost in the stars Volume 3 Big Scene Chapter 51 Nanotechnology Research Institute
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- What happened in the past two months was dizzying. The negotiations between United Technologies and Canberra, the interference from external forces, the balance of internal interests, and the management arrangements for the newly incorporated regions made Li Zhuang very tired. He had to make up his mind about some things, even if he wanted to be lazy.
After Christmas, many researchers chose to continue working. Zhou Qisen took the opportunity to give himself a week's leave and took Li Zhuang to visit his hometown Nanotechnology Research Institute.
"Is there any progress recently? I haven't been there for a long time. Besides, I only care about the research and development progress of nanolithography equipment," the computer expert said honestly.
"Haha, the Nanotechnology Research Institute has discovered a new material that may be used to make higher-grade rechargeable batteries, which are lower cost and easier to produce than carbon nanotube hexahedral batteries," Zhou Qisen laughed.
"Eh, is there such a thing? But I heard from Xavier that they discovered it. Who discovered it? You are the president now, so don't keep staring at your Nanotechnology Research Institute," Li Zhuang said, referring to Zhou Qisen's previous mockery of He Xiu Wen replied to him.
The president was a little embarrassed and defended: "I am a normal person, so I naturally have preferences. I am not familiar with Xavier, so of course I speak for the Nanotechnology Research Institute. Besides, my words cannot be used as the basis for internal allocation. The Joint Dispatch Center will take care of it on its own." Arranged."
When the two arrived at the institute, Dean Christopher Wilson was waiting, and they exchanged pleasantries. Christopher gave Li Zhuang a bunch of information and left with Zhou Qisen, which made the chairman very depressed.
Christopher is Ackerman¡¯s senior, and Zhou Qisen is Ackerman¡¯s classmate. They have the same tutor, only two years apart. You can imagine the relationship between the two. He is not a member of the Da Mian family, but a distant relative of the Wilson family in England, but he is related to Da Mian here.
"You said you were bringing me here, but it turned out that there was no one to talk to on the road. Forget it, I'll read the information myself," the chairman said helplessly after slandering him. Zhou Qisen likes to be lively and does not pretend to be serious like some people, but this guy who is not deep often makes many opponents who regard depth as beauty trouble.
Li Zhuang knows that the nanometer field sounds simple but is complicated to do. He only has a basic understanding of this field. Zhou Qisen and the members of the Joint Meeting of the Nanotechnology Research Institute are responsible for major issues. The actual theoretical research level of the Nanotechnology Research Institute is much higher than the demonstrated technical strength. This is the result of attaching great importance to theoretical research.
The scope of technical achievements is very wide, and cross-research with other research institutes is common. Nano-semiconductors, nano-magnetic materials, nano-nonlinear optical materials, nano-ferroelectrics, nano-superconducting materials, nano-thermoelectric materials, etc. are mainly used in optoelectronics, energy, nuclear physics and medicine.
The Nanotechnology Research Institute originally divided the laboratories according to the specific application of materials. It was fine when there were few people. But when there were more employees, the project teams often overlapped, making the internal management look amateurish. Unable to deal with this chaotic situation, Ackerman had to ask his mentor to come forward and persuade his senior brother Christopher Wilson, whom he had admired for a long time but had not met by chance, to come and help.
Experts took action and managed the Nanotechnology Research Institute in an orderly manner in just one month, greatly reducing frequent cross-research.
Christopher divided the research institute into six research institutes based on the chemical composition of materials: nanometals, nanocrystals, nanoceramics, nanoglass, nanopolymers and nanocomposites. In addition to the theoretical research department of each institute, the others are Divide it into laboratories and let researchers take charge of their areas of expertise.
After the new management system was formed, the competition among researchers began to become fierce. Different ways of achieving the same goal can often be proposed. Fortunately, it was an internal dispute, limited to academic disputes, and there was no need to undermine each other. However, the collision of different viewpoints made the entire institute become more dynamic, which was completely different from when Ackerman was the boss.
Ackerman is pretty good at R&D, and his hands-on ability is top-notch. The hexahedral carbon nanotube battery he and He Xiuwen made in K-city is still working normally. The robot's activity time has not been significantly reduced, and its capacity and charge and discharge times are worthy of its high cost.
There are specializations in the art industry, and everyone has their own ability limits. Ackerman wisely chose to abdicate and let his senior brother Christopher become the new boss of the Nanotechnology Research Institute.
These are the past events a few years ago. Christopher did not encounter any obstacles when he came to the Nanotechnology Research Institute. After all, this area is not sensitive and there are nanotechnology research institutions everywhere in the world. Among the three major research institutes, the Nanotechnology Research Institute has received the least attention, and even undercover agents are too lazy to come in. Two of the traitors surrendered under Li Zhuang's violent methods and are now making meritorious deeds.
The research and development results of this institute are basically digested internally, and are transformed into various equipment and products by the company's industrial division. It is responsible for patent royalties and external research and development tasks.?Main income.
The company has invested heavily in the field of nanotechnology, but the Nanotechnology Research Institute is fully worthy of this investment. It has accelerated the company's expansion in the high-tech field and has become self-sufficient very early.
Driven by commercial interests, the concept of nanotechnology has become very popular, and even some industries that have nothing to do with it have promoted their use of nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology has six major branches: nanophysics, nanochemistry, nanobiology, nanoelectronics, nanoprocessing technology and nanometrology. This classification method was determined at the First International Nanotechnology Conference (INTC) in 1993 .
Putting aside purely theoretical research, nanotechnology mainly includes nanoscale measurement technology, nanoscale surface physical and mechanical properties detection technology, nanoscale processing technology, nanoparticle preparation technology, nanomaterials, nanobiology technology, nanoassembly technology, etc. .
As far as concepts are concerned, there are three main types.
The first is the famous molecular nanotechnology, proposed by Dr. Drexler, a Citizen scientist, in the book "The Machine of Creation". After the technology matures, machines that combine molecules can be made practical, so that the required molecules can be combined and manufactured at will.
Molecular nanocombination machines can be realized in theory, but whether it is worth it. Researchers at the Nanotechnology Research Institute are debating endlessly. But one thing is certain, the cost of the combination machine will be very high, and it is extremely likely to be used as a civilian technology. Low. The reason is simple, it is not cost-effective and maintenance requires professionals.
The Molecular Nanocombination Machine Research Institute is an institution established by the Nanotechnology Research Institute two years ago. The mission of this institute is to develop the relevant technologies required for molecular nanocombination machines and to clear all obstacles on the road to the manufacturing of mature combination machines.
This dream machine cannot be built for the time being. The Nano Research Institute and the Institute of Applied Physics have cooperated to develop a practical atomic hard drive, transforming the early high-end research results into practical products.
The second is nano-processing technology, which is a technology that artificially forms nano-sized structures through "processing" with nano-level precision.
The production and sales of nanolithography equipment are an important financial source for the company. Nanoscale processing is one of the future finishing directions. Whether in the field of artificial intelligence or robotics and automation, this kind of equipment is needed.
The third type is nano-biocomputer technology, with DNA molecular computers and cell biocomputers being the main development directions. The company's biochips use nanobiotechnology and cutting-edge medical technology developed in the early stages.
The realization of these three concepts will take time. The achievements of the Nanotechnology Research Institute are mainly focused on the nanometer preparation of energy and materials.
In terms of energy, the results of carbon nanotube research have been successfully applied to physical batteries, chemical batteries and solar cells, and the research on the nanometer properties of various materials is also very in-depth.
After eight years of research and development, the laser continuous preparation of carbon nanotubes process has finally succeeded in reducing the cost to an acceptable level, making carbon nanotubes no longer an expensive toy.
In terms of nanometer preparation of materials, we mainly cooperate with the Materials Research Institute to develop dozens of lightweight and high-strength alloy materials suitable for mass production.
In terms of pure graphene, research progress has not been fast over the years. Ackerman feels that this thing is a bit unreliable. He does not believe that thinner and stronger materials can be found on the earth. This simply subverts people's cognitive concepts and is not consistent with common sense. As for how he was awarded the NB Award, he didn't care. He just stubbornly believed that pure graphene was not qualified to win the NB Award. Besides, it was not like there were no jokes about the NB Award.
The institute¡¯s process for preparing pure graphene flakes is very mature and is an extension of the carbon nanotube project. The technology for detecting flake defects is extremely difficult, which is a major shortcoming of pure graphene. It took the graphene detection project team three years to develop the relevant sorting and detection technology.
Researchers have done a lot of experiments and have made rapid progress in theory, but the opposite is true in practical application technology development.
The "soft mode" hardness of pure graphene has always been controversial. Ackerman believes that when pure graphene flakes are combined, their physical and chemical properties will be completely different, and they will no longer have the high strength and high hardness of a single layer of pure graphene. He mainly studies the application of pure graphene in the field of solar cells and sensors, and is unwilling to spend his energy on the performance research of flake combinations. His deputy has a somewhat different point of view from him and focuses on studying pure graphene flake alloys.
Last month, multiple project teams came up with their own research results. Some of them were expected by Zhou Qisen, but some surprised him.
As an expert in nanomaterials, Zhou Qisen has always paid close attention to his hometown Nanotechnology Research Institute. Although his technology has deteriorated, his vision is still good. After all, his theoretical cultivation isNow. Carbon nanotube solar cells lost to pure graphene solar cells, but the cost-effectiveness of carbon nanotubes in other fields clearly exceeds that of pure graphene.
The dispute between pure graphene and carbon nanotubes was aroused within Wesson Technology, and the opinions within the Nanotechnology Research Institute were not unified. Zhou Qisen had no choice but to separate according to large project groups, each doing his own thing.
There are thousands of pages of bound confidential paper documents. The fields of energy and nanoprocessing are the focus of Li Zhuang's browsing. He is quite satisfied with the progress in energy. The field of nanoprocessing is impatient. As for the molecular nanocombiner, he I looked at it with interest.
Being able to freely create what you want has always been a dream of mankind. Molecular nanocombiners are one of the focuses in the field of nanotechnology, but they have made little progress in recent years and are far less prosperous than other fields.
It is obvious that it is impossible to create something out of thin air. Even if there is control technology, the energy required and the time consumed are still troublesome.
How difficult is the manufacturing technology of molecular nanocomposite machines? Li Zhuang has a good understanding of the company's overall situation. There are not many instruments and equipment that can freely manipulate atoms to form molecules. The trump card of United Technologies Corporation is the nanoscale condensation laser. This major project was prepared since the early days of the establishment of Wesson Technology. It took eight years to perfect and reduce the cost. With nearly 20,000 employees, the Institute of Laser Engineering is the most powerful institute of the Institute of Applied Physics.
Ultra-precision instruments such as atomic force microscopes can only be used to assist in continuous combination. The accuracy and stability of the tools are undoubtedly the most important.
How long it takes to combine atoms into molecules, how much energy is required, and what kind of precision is required are certainly far beyond the company's current level. The precision of the condensation laser increases exponentially with every nanometer it advances. Maybe one day we can build a dream machine like a molecular nanocombiner, but its cost and use are not affordable for ordinary people, unless the company has programmed them in advance, not to mention the various technologies and living habits caused by it. and political issues.
In terms of daily necessities, it is definitely not cost-effective to use molecular nanocomposite machines. It is better to rely on the sun for bulk goods.
In terms of industrial products, there are not many uses for molecular nanocombiners. No matter how advanced the design is, the energy consumption is definitely greater than using existing materials for processing. Even artificial gold cannot compare with existing equipment, let alone the more in-depth research. nuclear reactor.
"Perhaps its purpose is to use it for key components that exceed the limits of machining and for emergency use in aerospace." Li Zhuang thought of this sentence when he looked at the results of the debate among the researchers on the data, but he felt that he would not be able to use it unless he was about to use it. If you starve to death, you will not eat food produced by this kind of machine. Besides, the company has been making progress in the research of high-energy compressed food, and it is not so desperate that it wants to eat food produced by the molecular nano-combination machine.
There will always be errors in mechanical processing, which is unavoidable. No matter how precise the processing equipment is, there will always be deviations. Ultra-precision parts automatically generated based on the drawings should be close to perfect. However, metal crystals are relatively complex. If the molecular nanocombiner is modified, it may be possible to create metals with perfect metallographic structures.
Li Zhuang thought about it for a while and felt that it was not very reliable. However, it is still necessary to develop a molecular nanocombiner. Its related technologies can improve the research and development progress of other equipment and instruments.
There were two knocks on the door, and Zhou Qisen walked in and said that NASA suddenly announced that the super-light spacecraft test would start at 23:00 Eastern Time, Citi.
"The day after tomorrow is New Year's Day. NASA won't do any gift projects, right?" Li Zhuang said with a smile.
"Haha, only the devil knows. It's just that this time is not good for our observations. I hope the ocean survey ship can still be used," Zhou Qisen said and took him to see the new gadgets.
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