I am devoted to scientific research, but you want to trick me into having a love relationship?

Chapter 605 Is my role as a catfish really that important?
Small auditorium.

The group discussed the matter in short sentences, while Professor Harvey on stage occasionally answered a few questions.

Taking advantage of the break, he looked at Xu Qingzhou, who had been silent all along: "Professor Xu, what are your thoughts?"

For some reason, he felt that this 23-year-old was the one who made him feel most threatened.

Xu Qingzhou tapped his pen lightly and said in a deep voice, "Niobium (Nb) doping may cause side reactions in lithium-niobium alloying, accelerating electrolyte decomposition. In-situ Raman spectroscopy only verified 800 hours of cycling. How can we prove the chemical inertness of this material in practical applications?"

"A very sharp question."

Professor Harvey nodded. This young man was indeed remarkable, having immediately identified the key issue. He calmly stated, "We have detected the stability of the interface passivation layer using synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). However, technological development takes time, and long-term dynamic evolution still requires further verification. We have already planned to conduct a 10000-hour accelerated aging test with Argonne National Laboratory."

"The sandwich structure requires a layer thickness error of less than 1 micrometer, and the precision of current mainstream magnetron sputtering equipment does not seem to meet the process requirements."

Xu Qingzhou raised his second point of doubt.

“We use distributed deposition and laser calibration technology, and we can currently compress the error to 2 micrometers. Yes, there is still a distance to go before industrialization standards are met.”

Professor Harvey said with a smile, "We have jointly developed a submicron-level deposition device with the German company Zeiss, and we will be able to complete the pilot test next year."

Another murmur of amazement rippled through the crowd.

One expert said, "The dynamic decomposition of dendrites into nanospheres by the halide electrolyte layer (LTLC) simultaneously repairs interfacial cracks. If I'm not mistaken, this is an extension of XCT tomography technology."

"Yes, here I need to introduce the key technology, which I call the 'sandwich' structural framework. First, a niobium-doped interface layer needs to be introduced."

On stage, Professor Harvey introduced the advanced nature of the research results.

Below the stage, the scholars intently studied the data presented, while representatives from industry companies began contacting their headquarters to discuss countermeasures.

This includes Chen Rongxuan.

He has already instructed his assistant to report the situation here to headquarters; this news is astonishing.

Actually, there's not much to discuss. Faced with such an absolute technological advantage, there's usually only one word: buy.

but.
Chen Rongxuan felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. With Europe and America imposing technological blockades, such advanced technology would probably not be sold easily.

Even if they eventually sell it, they will definitely suffer a huge loss.

Damn, things have only been improving for a few years, and now the pressure is starting again.

When they discussed their advantages at home and abroad in the past, they were actually somewhat prepared that they would not always maintain a dominant position.

After all, the West has a first-mover advantage, such as possessing patents for various sophisticated equipment, which is equivalent to controlling the source. Although there are alternative equipment in China, their precision and performance have not been developed.

I just didn't expect this day to come so soon.

Chen Rongxuan sighed, clearing his mind of distractions, and turned to look at Xu Qingzhou, who had a calm expression. "Professor Xu doesn't seem that surprised."

"Actually, I was quite surprised."

To be honest, Xu Qingzhou had roughly guessed before he came that Professor Harvey and his team's experiment should have achieved some results, but he still didn't expect the progress to be so great.

It was four or five years ahead of its peers.

Is his catfish really that important?
Chen Rongxuan couldn't help but say, "Domestic battery manufacturers are going to have a headache again. Although I don't know the core experimental data of other domestic companies, there is definitely a gap between them and this."

"Those guys at the Max Planck Institute are really something."

Xu Qingzhou agreed: "Actually, the data from our Kyoto Research Institute is also quite good."

However, after the assistant whispered something in Chen Rongxuan's ear, Chen Rongxuan greeted Xu Qingzhou, saying, "Professor Xu, I have something to attend to and need to leave for a while." Xu Qingzhou nodded, knowing that Chen Rongxuan probably had to hold a meeting with the Ningde headquarters to discuss countermeasures.

"Never mind, let's talk about it next time."

Although the samples from the Kyoto Institute for Materials Science are slightly better than those just released by the Max Planck Institute, the data is not very stable due to the shorter timeframe.

The seminar lasted for an hour, with a 10-minute break in the middle, during which Chen Rongxuan did not appear.

Four o'clock in the afternoon, in the lounge.

As Chen Rongxuan had predicted, he instructed them to contact the Max Planck Institute as soon as possible and to buy the property, even if it cost a fortune.

Sure enough, a meeting with Professor Harvey was arranged immediately.

Besides them, Japan and South Korea were also queuing up to see Xavi.

Chen Rongxuan shook hands with Professor Harvey: "Professor Harvey, congratulations on your major breakthrough in your experiment."

"Thank you, and thanks to the product data you shared last time, we avoided a lot of trouble," Professor Harvey said sincerely.

Chen Rongxuan didn't continue with pleasantries and asked in a deep voice, "Professor Harvey, we're old friends, so I'll get straight to the point. Do you have any plans to sell your patents?"

"Okay, Chen, I'll tell you the truth."

Professor Harvey looked helpless: "It's going to be difficult for you to obtain this patent. You know, 20% of the funding for our experiments comes from government sources."

"They won't stand by and watch this technology fall into the hands of their competitors, especially you Chinese."

"Is there no room for negotiation?" Chen Rongxuan asked, still somewhat unwilling to give up.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid not. As you know, Xia Kingdom has developed too rapidly in recent years, which has aroused the suspicion of those people."

Professor Harvey shook his head and said slowly, "Chen, believe me, if it weren't for the money, they probably wouldn't have allowed any equipment into Xia Country."

The attempt to acquire the patents ended in failure.

After leaving the lounge, Chen Rongxuan asked his assistant to report the situation to headquarters.

Judging from their arrangements, they will likely continue to engage in technical negotiations.

He then saw a middle-aged man walking towards him, his tone full of smugness: "Chen, the facts prove that we are probably one step ahead of you this time."

The visitor was Fran Gerard, the chief technical engineer of the French battery company ACC.

There's a saying that goes, "Even if you lose the fight, you can't lose the battle."

Chen Rongxuan was not going to lose in terms of momentum: "Hey Gerrard, I really like your phrase 'It's not over yet,' meaning that everything is not over until it's over."

ACC was established as a joint venture between Total, Stellantis, and Mercedes-Benz, aiming to supply batteries to European automakers and has always been a competitor of CATL.

"We'll see," Fran Gerard shrugged.

Chen Rongxuan didn't linger there, his gaze drifting towards the rest area. There, a young man was leisurely sipping coffee.

Young people are more composed.

Chen Rongxuan sighed and walked towards Xu Qingzhou's direction.

(End of this chapter)