Jinling Institute for Advanced Study, Materials Science Laboratory.

Standing next to an optical microscope, Lu Zhou slightly rotated the fine collimation spiral, observing the carbon nanotube fibers on the slide.

After about four or five minutes, Lu Zhou's eyes left the eyepiece and looked at Yang Xu who was standing next to him.

"Can't you make it longer?"

Yang Xu shook his head.

"That's the best it can be."

According to the data observed under the microscope, the shortest sample is only 5-10 μm, and the longer sample can reach 2 mm, but the number is only a handful.

Desperately, even a sample of carbon nanotubes grown to 2 mm in size. Compared to the hair-smooth carbon nanotube threads on the fabric, the sample lying on this slide was like a pile of beard slag, or a jagged one......

Touching his chin and pondering for a while, Lu Zhou spoke.

“…… What about the directed growth technology used in SG-1 superconducting materials? Have you tried it? ”

"I've tried all the methods you can think of," Yang Xu shook his head, "The pore size of this high-tensile strength carbon nanotube is much smaller than that of SG-1 material, and it is difficult to synthesize it by directional growth...... And 10,000 steps back, even if it can really be done in this way, it is difficult to accept in terms of cost, right? ”

If it is a superconducting material, it is fine, it is used in high-end fields, and it is acceptable to be a little more expensive if the amount is not large. But if it costs so much money to just one tensile material, it is a bit unnecessary.

Staring at the paddle on the microscope with a complicated expression, Lu Zhou still asked with some reluctance: "Don't have any ideas at all?" ”

"That's not it, there is still a little bit of thinking," Yang Xu handed out a report from the side of the experimental table, and handed it to Lu Zhou, "According to the feedback from several sets of experimental data, it is possible to effectively improve the proportion of long-carbon nanotube molecules in the product by improving the type of catalyst." In this way, the carbon nanotube molecule, which has a surface modified with nitrogen-containing groups, is very similar to some of the samples I have done before. ”

"So we just need to continuously improve the catalyst so that the catalyst remains active during the high-temperature growth of the carbon nanotubes, and theoretically its length can be increased."

For the growth of carbon nanotubes, the inactivation of the catalyst during high-temperature growth is an irreversible law, and it is also one of the main reasons limiting the length of carbon nanotubes.

Therefore, by improving the catalyst and prolonging its inactivation time, it is indeed a technically feasible and cost-controllable research idea.

After listening to Yang Xu's words, Lu Zhou nodded and said, "...... Then do what you say, and if you don't have enough money, just let me know. ”

"Don't worry about this, I will definitely not be polite to you when there is a shortage of funds," Yang Xu smiled, paused and continued, "By the way, I have to ask you something, now the problem of laboratory preparation has been solved...... Do I need to register a patent? ”

Lu Zhou thought for a while and said, "Let's register a carbon nanotube sample first, and then wait for the catalyst for preparation." ”

Yang Xu: "What about the paper?" ”

Lu Zhou: "After the patent is registered, you can consider sorting out the content except for the preparation process and putting it into a section." ”

It is also feasible in the materials science community to keep the synthesis process secret, and simply submit the sample with nitrogen-containing groups on the surface as an interesting carbon nanotube.

If more research institutions can be involved, it will also be beneficial for his side.

This is true not only in the field of materials science, but also in any field of academia, the higher the heat of a problem, the more interested research institutions, and the faster the results will be produced.

If a research institute works behind closed doors and does not exchange opinions with other scholars or research teams, it is not possible to see the results of pondering a problem for more than ten years.

"Then it's as you say," Yang Xu nodded and continued, "...... By the way, what should we call it? ”

Without thinking much about it, Yang Xu subconsciously asked this sentence.

However, as soon as he said this, he regretted it.

It's just that all the questions have been asked, and even if you want to regret it at this time, it's too late.

I saw Lu Zhou smile embarrassedly, thought seriously for a while, and spoke.

"Let's call it N-1."

The nomenclature is nothing special, purely considering that the nitrogen-containing modified groups on the surface of this carbon nanotube are too characteristic compared to other carbon nanotube materials, so the series of this material is simply named with the letter N.

As for N-1, it is naturally because it is No. 1, and if a newer type of similar material is developed in the future, it will be possible to directly follow the law of 1234 and so on.

Although he also considered what would be more appropriate to describe the properties of materials, such as "super tensile carbon nanotubes" or "carbon nanotubes that tensile 100 times stronger than steel", he dismissed the idea because it would take too much space to write.

Quite satisfied with his ability to come up with a name, Lu Zhou turned his inquiring eyes to Yang Xu, originally planning to ask his opinion, but seeing that he didn't respond for a long time, he hesitated to ask.

“…… What's wrong? ”

"It's nothing...... Yang Xu smiled awkwardly but politely, "I just think it has your style." ”

Lu Zhou: "......?" ”

What does it mean?

Look down on my taste in naming names?

At this moment, a call suddenly came to Lu Zhou's mobile phone.

took out his mobile phone and looked at it, seeing that it was Director Li calling, Lu Zhou and Yang Xu said hello, and then pressed the connect button and walked to the corridor outside the laboratory.

"Hello?"

"It's me."

Hearing that Director Li's tone was not quite right, Lu Zhou did not greet him, and asked straight to the point.

"What's wrong?"

Sure enough, Director Li's next sentence confirmed his bad premonition.

“…… There is something wrong with the Hangke Group, and the heat dissipation system of the core cabin is not enough," after a pause of about two or three seconds, Director Li said in a heavy tone, "The launch plan may have to be postponed." ”

For spacecraft, heat dissipation is a serious problem and one that is difficult to detect during the design phase. Although it is possible to simulate the total heat production and heat dissipation of the current technology, such simulations can deviate from the actual situation for a variety of reasons.

For example, the GOES-17 satellite of the United States is susceptible to solar radiation and overheating because of the design flaws in the cooling system, which makes it unable to obtain infrared cloud maps in a timely and effective manner.

In a sense, it's been quite lucky to be able to spot problems on the ground. After all, after the spacecraft is in the sky, it is almost impossible to overhaul it.

As soon as he heard that there was a problem with heat dissipation, Lu Zhou immediately asked, "Can't it be solved by installing a heat dissipation plate?" ”

Director Li said in a heavy tone: "...... The problem is not with the heat sink, but with the loop heat pipes. ”

As soon as he heard that the problem was on the loop heat pipe, Lu Zhou suddenly chuckled in his heart, and immediately realized that the problem was probably not simple.

“…… You mean, the entire loop heat pipe has to be redesigned? ”

The voice on the other end of the phone was a little bitter.

"I'm afraid so."

Lu Zhou: "......"

Mommy......

Redone Loop Heat Pipes!

What is the difference between this Nima and dismantling the shell of the entire core module and sending it back to the furnace?