The most difficult part of the lithium-sulfur battery technology was the shuttle effect.
The shuttle effect occurred during the battery charging and discharging process, where the polysulfide (Li2Sx) interdiate produced by the positive electrode dissolved into the electrolyte before diffusing through the separator to the negative electrode, and finally contacting the tal lithium.
Lu Zhou was able to achieve lithium-sulfur battery technology, inventing the technology, and registering the patents before ExxonMobil could. He had a huge disagreent with Professor Stanley over lithium-sulfur battery technology.
Professor Stanley, who was backed by ExxonMobil, used subterfuge to poach an assistant from the Sarrot Institute, stealing Professor Sarrot’s caged carbon molecules model.
But there was an up-side to all this.
Professor Stanley eventually sohow helped Lu Zhou complete the “Analyze carbon nanospheres under the modified PDMS film” mission, thus helping him reach level 4 materials science. This indirectly led him to winning the Nobel Prize...
Many years had passed, but Lu Zhou had yet to thank this professor.
The black powder in the test tube was Professor Stanley’s caged carbon molecules, which was the sa as the carbon nanospheres found on Debris No.1.
Yang Xu: “What is this...”
“A type of caged carbon molecules used to transport oxygen molecules, although I prefer to call it carbon nanospheres.”
Lu Zhou placed the test tube in Yang Xu’s hands and said, “Don’t forget that in addition to the gas exchange chamber and the external diaphragm, our lithium anode material also has a layer of modified PDMS film on top of it. When the concentration of oxygen molecules on both sides of the film reaches a certain value, they’ll transport oxygen molecules from one side to the other like little ants.”
Basically, it added two layers of security to the oxygen and nitrogen separation system. The first layer was the oxygen screening mbrane, which was a mixture of the organic substances listed on the whiteboard by Lu Zhou. This mbrane could sustain a 98% pure oxygen environnt!
As for the second layer of security, that was the modified PDMS film on the lithium anode material!
After adding the hollow carbon spheres, the modified PDMS film on the surface of the lithium anode would transport oxygen molecules to the lithium anode surface.
“... We can even control the rate of lithium oxidation by modifying the number of carbon nanospheres on the PDMS film, indirectly controlling the performance of the battery.”
When Yang Xu heard Lu Zhou’s words, he was filled with shock.
This thing is that strong?
Even though he wanted to ask Lu Zhou, he was a researcher who had a sample right in front of him. Asking a question would be rather moronic.
Without hesitating, he brought the test tube to an experintal device.
Inside the device was a battery mold and protective gas operation box, which were used to assemble and test batteries.
Testing Lu Zhou’s invention was easy; he didn’t even need to use a complete lithium-air battery.
He only needed to make a lithium tal sheet covered with modified PDMS material and mixed with the carbon nanospheres. Then, he would have to expose it to a series of gas environnts such as pure oxygen, pure carbon dioxide, pure nitrogen, etc. He would instantly know what kind of oxygen pass-through properties it had.
After so complicated preparation and waiting, the experint was finally done.
In a normal air environnt, the reaction wasn’t obvious. There was so amount of oxidation on the surface, which was confird to be lithium oxide!
In the nitrogen and carbon dioxide environnts, the lithium didn’t react at all!
As for the pure oxygen environnt...
Like Lu Zhou said, the entire lithium anode went through huge changes.
Yang Xu was so surprised he didn’t know what to say. Lu Zhou smiled and said, “If you observed these reactions under a microscope, you would be even more shocked.”
Yang Xu gulped and said, “So... you completed this experint... a long ti ago?”
Lu Zhou: “I told you, I did this experint when I was still teaching at Princeton, I just never published it.”
Of course, there were still many differences between this carbon nanosphere and the original ones made by Professor Stanley.
By using computational chemistry thods, Lu Zhou adjusted the positions of several large π bonds on the surface, thus increasing its oxygen transportation properties.
However, the thods for preparing the carbon nanospheres stayed the sa.
“This is amazing...”
“This oxygen polyr material transporter is incredible!”
Lu Zhou looked at Yang Xu and said nostalgically, “It is incredible. Actually, I’ve always wondered about the chanism of this transportation process. I even created two sets of theories, but I just can’t prove which one is correct.”
Yang Xu: “How... did you do it?”
Lu Zhou laughed awkwardly and smiled.
“Long story short, an old friend helped with the caged carbon molecules synthesis, then I found so small improvents on the π bonds.”
Of course, the most important part was having the Debris No.1.
Without the Debris, it would have taken him years to find a hollow carbon sphere that was compatible with oxygen molecules.
Yang Xu: “No problems with the patent?”
Lu Zhou imdiately said, “No problems, my friend sold it to for a very cheap price.”
This happened a long ti ago.
Not long after the lithium-sulfur batteries ca out, ExxonMobil’s patents beca worthless. Even Professor Stanley himself didn’t know that his invention could be applied to lithium-air batteries. Thus, Star Sky Technology was able to buy the patent from him for a very cheap price.
Of course, back then, the patent was under his na, not Star Sky Technology.
Even though it didn’t cost a lot to buy the patent, the process was quite cumberso.
Yang Xu said emotionally, “Your friend is such a nice person.”
Lu Zhou smiled heartily.
“Yeah, I agree, he’s very nice.”
...
Now that the problem with filtering oxygen molecules using the mbrane was solved, coupled with the carbon nanospheres, there was no doubt that lithium-air batteries would soon co to life.
After giving Chen Yushan a call and telling her to handle the upcoming patents, Lu Zhou left the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study.
He ca to the institute during the early mornings, and it was already night ti when he left.
Using the quantum computer to run a simulation was easy, as he just had to put the model into the computer. Experinting with the carbon nanospheres took quite a long ti, especially since he had to cover the lithium tal with a sheet of modified PDMS film.
Lu Zhou sat in Wang Peng’s car. He hadn’t slept for more than 30 hours, and he was about to take a short nap when Director Li suddenly called him.
Before Lu Zhou could say hello, the other side spoke aggressively.
“I read your report! Is it true? The carbon-based—” Director Li suddenly realized it wasn’t safe to speak about these things over the phone, so he said, “Wait, I’ll co to your house.”
Lu Zhou yawned and asked, “Where are you now?”
“I’m in Beijing! I’m flying over!”
Lu Zhou: “...?”
Before he could respond, Director Li had ended the call.
Reviews
All reviews (0)