Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 63 Professor Jiang's Guidance
Professor Jiang's office.

On the tea tray, wisps of white steam rise from the spout of the purple clay teapot.

Chen Mo stared at the Phoenix Dancong tea leaves unfurling in the porcelain cup, wondering if this "dried leaf" was drinkable.
This is mainly because he has never had the opportunity to see such top-quality tea in his past and present lives, so he seems somewhat unfamiliar with it.

He picked up his teacup and took a small sip, as if savoring the memory.

This "ignorance," when coupled with Professor Jiang's halo of genius in developing gaseous lithium batteries, makes him seem endearingly innocent.

As the old man watched the young man furrow his brows to discern the aroma of the tea, his gaze behind his glasses softened unconsciously.

It turns out that even geniuses who make waves in the scientific research field can show such a bewildered expression when faced with a cup of tea, like a graduate student operating a precision instrument for the first time in a laboratory, clumsy yet revealing a rare sincerity.

"Xiao Chen!" Professor Jiang disliked those empty connections and asked directly, "Using nitrides in solid-state batteries, the transition from liquid to solid is a natural progression, in line with both technological direction and market principles. Why do you insist on taking such an unconventional approach?"

Professor Jiang pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze behind the lenses as sharp as an eagle's.

"Ding~"

The crisp sound of Chen Mo's tea lid tapping against the rim of the cup was particularly clear in the quiet office.

He smiled wryly. This was the commercially viable battery solution provided by the system; what could he do?

So Chen Mo twirled the porcelain cup in his palm twice, and only spoke after thinking it over.

"Professor Jiang! To be honest, I only have cathode materials at hand, and I am really powerless to do structural design and electrolyte development."

That's true. He could have developed a gaseous lithium-ion battery all by himself, just like Professor Lin thought, by claiming that he had already done most of the research and development in the past and that the results were only recently presented.

However, it took BTD 25 years to gather a thousand people to develop a feasible solid-state nitride battery, which was only a laboratory-scale product. How could Chen Mo possibly have developed one on his own?

Some people think that if you are given the technology, you can build it.

If you give the complete data on third-generation fighter jets to small African countries, see if they can build them!
There's no such condition.

"I was thinking," Chen Mo looked at Professor Jiang and noticed that he seemed a little tired. "Instead of getting stuck in this bottleneck, we should find another way. Although gaseous batteries are risky, they can bypass many technical barriers that need to be overcome."

"You're so cunning!" Professor Jiang suddenly laughed, the tea rippling in his cup. "The materials you brought over today aren't just what Old Lin said about dealing with patent applications for solid-state nitride batteries, are they?"

The old man tapped the coffee table with his knuckles and said with a smile, "Tell me! What can I do for you, old man?"

Chen Mo quickly stood up, nearly knocking over his teacup: "Professor Jiang has excellent insight! I do need some laboratory equipment and researchers to help me."

He looked at the gray hair at the other person's temples, and his tone softened unconsciously.

"At present, gaseous lithium batteries lack the conditions for mass production, so I can only shamelessly bother you."

"Old Lin and I are old friends!" Professor Jiang waved his hand with a smile, "Just call me Professor Jiang!"

Then, he got up and took out a gold-embossed notebook from his desk drawer. Tucked between the yellowed pages was an engineering design drawing of the battery architecture.

"Xiao Chen! Your composite electrode MOF structure design has quite a few problems."

He took the pen from his breast pocket and pointed at the diagram.

"Your MOF structure is too coarse. You can add a honeycomb-like structure and use gradient injection for the transfer electrolyte, which can improve the energy density by at least 15%."

15%! ! !

The capacity of a mobile phone gaseous lithium battery manufactured according to the MOF structure provided in the system plan would increase from 800mAh to 920mAh, while maintaining the same volume. Can such a significant improvement be achieved simply by optimizing the structure and process sequence?

Is this the capability of a mentor with two academicians?
Not only do they understand materials science, but they can also help you unlock the potential of materials properties from an engineering perspective by optimizing structures.

Loved it!

Vice Dean Lin?

So love will disappear, right?
Chen Mo's breathing suddenly quickened, and he was completely unaware that the tea had spilled on his hands. He hurriedly leaned forward and asked him what was wrong.

"Teacher Jiang! Could you explain this improvement plan in detail?"

This technology is so important that it can at least reduce Chen Mo's "anxiety" about the battery life of the Orange 1 phone.

There's nothing we can do about it. Look at the Apple 4, which uses a "large" 1450mAh battery and is still criticized by users for its short battery life. You can imagine what will happen with the Orange 1, which uses an 800mAh battery.

Professor Jiang answered a phone call, smiled, put his pen back in his pocket, pointed outside the door, and casually placed his phone on his desk.

"Xiao Chen! Just talking about theory isn't enough. I've had the materials you sent prepared. I'll go to the lab and guide you through making a few samples, and you'll understand everything."

Professor Jiang held the optimized MOF battery structure design drawings, and as he stood up, his clothes fluttered in the wind.

A look of surprise flashed in Chen Mo's eyes, and he quickly followed the old man's steps.

As the two turned the corner of the corridor, the morning light slanted across the entire floor-to-ceiling window, casting the busy figures of the movers onto the wall.

A dozen or so metal boxes labeled "dangerous goods" were neatly stacked on the cart, and the metallic smell of lithium powder could be smelled from the gaps in the lids.

"You've come at just the right time!" Professor Jiang raised his hand and pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, the lenses gleaming in the sunlight. "These new graduate students are always complaining to me about not having any hands-on experience. Your project is a good opportunity for them to practice."

He called out to a familiar figure in the group of people moving things, "Xiao Liu! Notify Group Three to assemble in the lab and get ready to start work!"

Xiao Liu, looking out through the clear glass of the window, glanced in surprise at Professor Jiang, who appeared "full of energy."

She nodded hurriedly and said, "Teacher Jiang! Didn't you say you were going home to rest after working for a week straight?"

Chen Mo curiously sized up this "Senior Sister Liu." She had almond-shaped eyes, neat short hair, and walked with a swagger, making her seem unapproachable.

"So we have to start work again already? Can you handle it?"

Clutching the inventory record book, her gaze swept over Professor Jiang's heavy dark circles, then quickly glanced at Chen Mo, her eyes filled with silent resentment.

Faced with his senior's silent complaint, Chen Mo felt wronged as well!
How did he know that Professor Jiang hadn't rested for a week? Was it just a coincidence that he came today?

Although Chen Mo was also eager to know the improvement effect that Professor Jiang's optimization of the MOF structure would bring to the gaseous lithium battery, it was not enough to make the academician, who had just finished a week of non-stop work, drag his tired body to continue to engage in high-intensity experiments.

If something really happens to Professor Jiang, not only will Chen Mo be unable to cover it up, but Old Lin won't be able to either!
"Teacher Jiang! How about another day?"

Professor Jiang waved his hand, his gaze behind his glasses revealing an unwavering determination.

"Don't waste any more time! I know my own body." He reached out and patted Chen Mo's shoulder, the warmth of his palm coming through the fabric: "We researchers don't wait for 'another day'."

After saying that, Professor Jiang took the lead and walked towards the main laboratory.

(End of this chapter)