Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 35 Top Secret Documents
A few cicadas chirped outside the window. Old Lin got up and closed the curtains. Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting stripes on the documents.

"Hey Lao Jiang! Do you remember which year that paper on Schmidt's theory was published?"

Old Lin sat down unceremoniously in his leather swivel chair and opened the international scientific literature database on his computer.

As a technocrat with a strong sense of political savvy, Lin naturally had to be cautious before revealing this technology that could change the country's energy strategy.

"Go away! Why don't you just search for the question directly! It's been over twenty years, you're lucky if you remember the general content, do you really think I'm some kind of old man with a photographic memory!"

Professor Jiang walked over, pushed him aside along with his leather swivel chair, and sat on his desk, looking at his computer screen, personally searching for the paper.

Yes! We're all getting old!

Old Lin sat to one side and sighed, “Talented people emerge in every generation, and the most outstanding figures are those of today!”
"Old Jiang! Have you found it yet? Or have you forgotten about it too?"

"Look!" Old Jiang proudly found a unique search term and clicked on the paper.

Alright! Some stubborn mules will remember.

The theoretical direction of this paper, "Ion Conductivity Characteristics under Supercritical Environment," does indeed indirectly demonstrate the feasibility of improving the performance of liquid lithium batteries in molten salt energy storage. According to this model, the performance improvement is at least three times.

Then let's poke it in now!
After the two old rascals discussed it, they became extremely serious.

The office door closed.

Old Lin took out his phone and called his secretary: "Please inform the members of the standards committee that there is an emergency meeting this afternoon."

"Oh, right!" He stroked the handwritten copy in his hand, then looked at the original document in the safe, and instructed his secretary, "Notify the comrades in Shenzhen's National Security Bureau to prepare to transfer two top-secret documents!"

"Old Lin!" Professor Jiang was clearly reluctant to part with it: "I want to take my handwritten copy with me too!"

The processes involved in some of the gaseous lithium batteries described here are very inspiring for Professor Jiang's research on sodium-ion batteries.

Otherwise, why would he stay up all night to make a copy by hand? Wasn't it so he could keep it for himself to study later?
Vice Dean Lin is not a researcher like Professor Jiang who focuses solely on technology; he naturally possesses political sensitivity.

This matter, on a small scale, concerns a five-year new energy strategic plan; on a larger scale, it concerns a struggle for the fate of the nation. No amount of caution is excessive.

Those familiar with oil prices know that China has been working hard to reduce its dependence on petrochemical energy.

Two hours later, the two top-secret documents were sent from Shenzhen to the Beijing Technical Committee for technical review.

After Vice President Lin held a brief encrypted conference call with members of the National Energy Storage Technology Standardization Committee, the members attending the energy storage summit in Beijing received the technical committee's review results.

Subsequently, the members of the National Energy Storage Technology Standardization Committee in Beijing submitted a written report to the comrades of the National Development and Reform Commission, which was drafted by the chairman and collectively signed.

The National Energy Storage Technology Standardization Committee recommends a re-evaluation of the molten salt energy storage power station construction plan for the next five years.

After verifying the feasibility of the information provided by Director Lin with relevant personnel from the National Development and Reform Commission's Technical Committee and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the NDRC decided to form an inspection team composed of experts in the battery field to personally verify the authenticity of the technology in Shenzhen.

Meanwhile, Lao Lin was in a hurry to hold a conference call with the committee members to discuss the impact of the emergence of gaseous ion technology on the subsequent work of the National Energy Storage Technology Standardization Committee.

On the other hand, since the handwritten documents were also taken away by the National Security personnel, the office was also requisitioned by Lao Lin for a meeting.

Professor Jiang looked down on the "sodium-ion battery," a rather unappealing concept, and had no interest in researching it.

He stood by the lab window, phone in hand, and dialed Xu Mingyuan's number.

When the call connected, Xu Mingyuan's slightly hoarse cough came from the other end, clearly the result of his futile calls to investors all day, trying to attract investment from afar.

"Mingyuan!" Professor Jiang deliberately lowered his voice, speaking with exceptional gentleness to his proud student who had brought him so much honor: "I have good news to tell you, your project is making progress."

However, because Lao Lin had instructed Professor Jiang to keep this matter a secret until it was settled, he couldn't explain it very clearly.

Thus, a wonderful misunderstanding arose.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, then Xu Mingyuan's voice was hoarse with surprise. "Professor Jiang! Is this BTD? They've taken a liking to my solid-state cathode material?"

Professor Jiang's lips twitched, and he almost blurted out, "You know those are solid cathode materials! What are you going to do with them in a gaseous battery? And that nitride polymer, are you going to use it as a catalyst?" But he changed the subject at the last minute.

After all, in Professor Jiang's eyes, Xu Mingyuan has already achieved "results" and has become a "maverick" with an unbalanced academic background, so some of his peculiar ideas can be tolerated.

"You have a good eye, but young people shouldn't be too ambitious!"

Professor Jiang believes that although Xu Mingyuan has successfully developed a gaseous battery, solid-state battery technology is clearly more mature.

It is really not right to overturn the foundation of the existing battery system just for the sake of the empty title of being the first to create a gaseous battery.

After all, solid-state batteries are now approaching perfection in terms of material systems and supply chain support, while core issues such as supercritical environment control and lithium metal polymer stability of gaseous batteries still require long-term verification.

Instead of gambling on "disruptive innovation" in the lab, it's better to let mature technologies support the mainstay of energy transition first.

Gas-state batteries can be left as a future technological reserve and refined at the theoretical level; there's no need to rush to bring them out.

This makes the gaseous lithium battery, which is considered "perfect" in terms of battery technology, feel like a rushed product, with an awkward energy density and a range that can't even match that of ordinary ternary lithium batteries on the market.

For the market and industry, your technology is not necessarily better the more advanced it is.

Professor Jiang thought about it and perhaps felt that he had been too harsh on Xu Mingyuan.

After all, he himself might not have been able to withstand such empty fame when he was young, so Professor Jiang offered him a rare word of comfort.

"Mingyuan! Anyway, don't worry, I guarantee you, there will be some progress on this matter within half a month!"

This technology of gaseous ions is, on a grand scale, a matter of national energy strategy, and cannot be delayed for too long.

In Professor Jiang's view, the problems of Xu Mingyuan's company were no small matter.

With such a nitrided polymer, Xu Mingyuan would never have to worry about food and drink for the rest of his life.

Because the technology was indeed quite advanced, Professor Jiang was willing to give him a guarantee.

Of course, Professor Jiang's ideas are all based on the fact that this document, "A New Type of Gaseous Lithium-ion Battery Production Process Path," was developed by Xu Mingyuan's Yuantu New Energy Company.

“But Teacher Jiang,” Xu Mingyuan’s tone suddenly hesitated. He had personally verified those positive materials and naturally knew what kind of garbage they were: “Why is that BTD?”

"Hey!" Professor Jiang interrupted him, "Don't rush, organize your battery ideas carefully, I'll give you a little hint. Experts will be coming to investigate later! Just wait patiently!"

Expert inspection!!!

My solid-state batteries, with an energy density of no more than 120mAh/g, are even worse than liquid batteries on the market right now?
Xu Mingyuan held his phone, wanting to ask Teacher Jiang again if she was joking with him, but then remembered that she was always a bit old-fashioned and not the kind of person who would joke around.

"Don't worry, Professor Jiang, I'll make all the necessary preparations to welcome the expert team."

In the end, Xu Mingyuan, feeling dizzy, agreed and prepared to face the inspection from the "BTD expert" that Professor Jiang had mentioned.

When people have hope, reason always instinctively abandons them, and Xu Mingyuan was no exception.

Perhaps, just perhaps, the BTD experts have found some "gold" in their pile of garbage that they hadn't noticed before!

After hanging up the phone, Xu Mingyuan looked at his desk and saw a document he had collected on the progress of BTD's publicly available battery research.

The energy density of the other party's latest ternary lithium battery (NCM/NCA) has exceeded 150Wh/kg.

This doesn’t make sense!

Are they really trying to find gold in the shit, trying to pick up their own bargains?
But Teacher Jiang's confident assurances are usually correct.

(End of this chapter)