The micron-level processing of the B178 sample was operated by Yang Dingtian, the first experimenter of the project team, and his hands-on ability was the strongest.

Tang Yuan played the first auxiliary position, he was responsible for monitoring real-time data, adjusting equipment parameters, and fully linking with Yang Dingtian.

The rest of the personnel are ready to respond, and Shen Qi controls the overall situation.

Buzzing, equipment start-up, a micron-scale technical battle is staged.

"Turn off the gas protection. Tang Yuan skillfully operated various equipment and escorted the main operator Yang Dingtian.

"B178-1 starts machining, FIB starts. Yang Dingtian stared intently at the sample through the electron microscope.

In the laboratory, only the exchange between Yang Dingtian and Tang Yuan was heard, and the sentences were short.

This kind of experiment requires at least two people to operate at the same time, and for each key experimental step, one person reports the details of the procedure to be performed, and the other person responds with a sentence to confirm.

Even though these advanced devices have error-proofing settings, before AI became widespread, it was humans who directly operated the devices.

As long as you are human, you can make mistakes, so you need to remind each other to supervise.

The focused ion beam etchs the surface of the B178-1 CEG-copper metal plastic sample, which is a very delicate technical task, and the sample is processed with a diameter of just over 100 microns.

In the processing environment, the temperature rises at a rate of 20 degrees Celsius per minute, rapidly reaching 120 degrees Celsius.

"The temperature is 120 degrees Celsius. ”

"The temperature is 120 degrees Celsius. ”

Yang Dingtian and Tang Yuan reported the number successively.

Shen Qi made an important command: "Maintain this temperature and enter the filling stage." ”

Metallic plastics have the strength of metals at room temperature, and have good filling ability in the supercooled liquid phase zone after heating, which cannot be achieved by conventional crystalline materials.

Everyone was nervous and expectant, and after a series of complex operations, Yang Dingtian machined a gear.

The diameter of this gear is 100 microns or 0.1 millimeters, which is similar to the diameter of a human hair.

The microscope can be seen that the contours of this pocket gear are clear and complete, and the dimensions are accurate, indicating that the strength of the sample is high enough.

The XRD diffraction pattern of the pinion shows obvious steamed bread-like diffraction peaks, and there are no sharp crystallization peaks, indicating that the gears are completely amorphous.

Yang Dingtian put away the sample, Tang Yuan saved the data, and the two glanced at each other and made OK gestures.

Shen Qi also made the same gesture: "OK." ”

The rest of the lab was excited: "It's a success!"

“Yes！”

After a year of hard work and 365 days and nights of hard work, the FASTER project team, under the leadership of Shen Qi, gave full play to the collective wisdom and strength and made significant scientific research progress.

The 100-micron metal plastic, that is, the gear that Shen Qi and the others just processed, can also be processed into other shapes and characteristics of products, which are used to manufacture components of some precision instruments in aerospace, communications, medicine, national defense and other fields.

"We've had a hard time, so let's not say anything, take care of the finishing touches, and then we'll go out and celebrate. Shen Qi is also very happy, every time a major achievement is produced, everyone can brush up on academic articles and get some material rewards, who can not be happy about fame and fortune.

The scientific researchers talked about it at the dinner table, and someone asked Shen Qi what to do next, C series?

Shen Qi believes that the next step should no longer be the issue of processing scale, but the topic of the internal structure of amorphous materials.

In some industries, the product must be bigger, the bigger the better.

Shen Qi: The more in-depth their research in this industry, the smaller the object of their research becomes.

Smaller than microns are nanometers, nanostructured amorphous materials, which are Shen Qi's next plan.

This is not to process the external shape of amorphous materials into pocket-sized and precise gears or nuts, but to study the microscopic principles and development technologies between nanoscale amorphous particles.

"This project is actually quite interesting, our research object is getting smaller and smaller, so small that it is possible to amplify something new. I can't predict exactly what it will be, but I think it must be something amazing. Well, don't talk about work during meal time in public places, come, all raise a glass, and don't raise goldfish. Shen Qi raised his glass and drank it all, everyone was dry, and they drank very happily.

The next step is the routine operation, and the researchers under Shen Qi are familiar with the road, sorting out data, writing papers, and issuing phased project summary reports.

Shen Qi let everyone do everything, but there were two things that he had to grasp personally, one was people, and the other was money.

The core of the intellectual property problem in the field of scientific research is the issue of patent rights, which is the issue of money in layman's terms.

Shen Qi still went to talk about the patent rights of the B178 sample cerium gallium copper metal plastic, and he found an acquaintance, Director Qi, and entrusted the Yanda Technology Transfer Center to help him operate this matter.

"Academician Shen, you have been issuing a patent for half a year, and the speed is too amazing, right?" Director Qi was surprised, he knew that the patented invention made by Shen Qi was not a gadget such as an energy-saving light bulb, but a very high-end and cutting-edge amorphous material.

Shen Qi said: "Oh, Lao Qi, it's not fast, I made a military order with it, and that's how the project code name FASTER came about." ”

Director Qi: "Okay, I'll study the information you gave me and help you get it done as soon as possible." ”

The paper on cerium-gallium copper metal plastics was written by Yang Dingtian, and the summary report of the segmental project was written by Tang Yuan.

Both of them are capable of 880,000 yuan, and they are very familiar with this project, and they quickly completed their thesis and summary report.

There are actual results, articles, and summaries, and the relevant departments are very satisfied with the progress and output of FASTER.

The competent department and Yanda respectively commended the FASTER project team, and hoped that all scientific researchers would make persistent efforts to reach new heights.

Today is the first anniversary of the establishment of the FASTER project team, and at this time last year, Shen Qi Institute seconded 10 researchers to the project team.

A year has passed, and Shen Qi is facing some personnel problems.

Yang Dingtian followed Shen Qi soon after the establishment of the center and belonged to the establishment of the center.

In other words, Yang Dingtian's personnel assessment belongs to the center, and his salary, bonuses, subsidies, promotions, logistics support and other matters are decided by Shen Qi.

The 10 researchers seconded by the Institute of Physics followed Shen Qi to do projects, and their personnel establishment still belonged to the Academy.

At the end of the year, Shen Qi gave Yang Dingtian the best assessment grade, but Shen Qi was unable to conduct personnel assessment for the other 10 researchers.

Some researchers complained to Shen Qi that the annual assessment given to them by the Institute of Physics was very ordinary, that is, the kind of grade that did not increase or reduce salaries.

Including Shen Qi's center, the assessment of employees in various departments of Yanda is divided into four grades: A, B, C, and D.

A, the annual performance is extremely excellent, and the basic salary is increased by two grades, which is an important basis for evaluating the title and dividing the house.

B, the annual performance is excellent, and the basic salary will be increased by one level.

C, the annual performance is average, and the salary is not raised.

D, the annual performance is poor, the basic salary is lowered by one level, and the evaluation of job titles, housing and other matters will not be considered within three years.

Shen Qi gave Yang Dingtian A, but Tang Yuan basically took C in the courtyard.

As a manager, Shen Qi can understand the practice of the Institute of Physics, A and B are limited by the proportion of places, and the ten seconded Physics Research Institute have not helped the Institute for a year, and it is normal for the Institute of Physics to give them C.

It's not who the institute is targeting, but the director of the institute also has his considerations, after all, he has to take care of those employees who have not entered the FASTER project team.

So Shen Qi said to Dean Ning of the Academy of Physics: "That's it, Dean Ning, the ten physics researchers seconded, their personnel establishment is all allocated to my center, there are few people on my side, and the places of A and B have not been used up this year." ”