Chapter 1559 Someone is blocking your path to wealth (plus 1 more)

The comparison between the two is shocking!

The "gentle" performance of the new coated battery on the left and the "violent" performance of the conventional battery on the right form an extremely strong visual impact.

There were uncontrollable exclamations and gasps at the scene, and the flash lights were bright.

The video ended, and Zhang Tao spoke calmly:

"As you can see, in tests simulating extreme abuse conditions, such as internal short circuits, the triggering of thermal runaway in batteries using our new coating is significantly delayed and the intensity of the reaction is greatly reduced. This is due to the more stable interface and more controllable ion/electron transport brought about by the ordered array structure, which effectively suppresses the occurrence of local hot spots and chain reactions."

He tapped the table in front of him to emphasize: "Security is a very important advantage of our technology."

This intuitive and shocking demonstration instantly pushed the atmosphere of the press conference to a climax.

The next few questions all focus on technical details.

Some people asked about the microscopic mechanism of electrochemical reactions, while others were curious about the specific steps and costs of the synthesis process.

Regarding the professionalism of these questions, Zhang Tao would bet his entire life's salary and bonuses that the person asking the questions was definitely not a journalist.

They are all colleagues who want to get information.

Fortunately, everything has been planned out.

His answer seemed very comfortable, showing the rigor of a scientist while cleverly avoiding core secrets.

"The core algorithm of the synthesis process involves our independently developed quantum chemical dynamic model, which is a key intellectual property and is not convenient to elaborate on here." As he explained, he showed a high-resolution three-dimensional reconstructed image that clearly showed the relatively ordered cobalt atomic lattice and short chain structure on the carrier surface.

"As you can see," Zhang Tao pointed at the image, "it is this highly ordered, atomically precise arrangement of cobalt atoms that gives the material its excellent performance. As for the cost," he paused, "since the main materials are cobalt, carbon nanotubes and hexagonal boron nitride, although the synthesis process is sophisticated, the raw materials themselves are not extremely expensive or scarce."

"We estimate that after large-scale industrialization, the cost of the new coating will only be slightly higher than that of existing high-end electrode materials, and the performance improvement it brings will far cover this part of the cost increase, and will not lead to a significant increase in the terminal price of the battery..."

"..."

Now, the difference between experts and laymen is revealed.

The real reporters were all amazed at Zhang Tao's answer, while some guys who looked like scholars at first glance stared at the photo on the screen, fascinated.

A "reporter" wearing a Nikkei News ID card raised his hand and asked, "Professor Zhang, the three-dimensional atomic image you just showed is very clear, but it does not seem to appear in the paper you published in Nature? Is this subsequent supplementary data?"

This question hits the nail on the head and is exactly the entry point that Zhang Tao has been waiting for.

"This reporter made a very careful observation." Zhang Tao nodded. "Indeed, this image did not appear in the Nature paper. The reason is that all commercial microscopic characterization equipment in the world, whether it is a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) or a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), can hardly accurately and non-destructively provide the absolute position information of a single atom in three-dimensional space, especially in such a complex carrier-catalyst system."

"However, accurate three-dimensional atomic position information is precisely the core basis for us to design the light field programming synthesis path and optimize the parameters to achieve the atomic array arrangement." He emphasized, "In order to solve this key problem, we have to use some...special characterization technologies that are still in the laboratory development stage and have not yet been fully commercialized for auxiliary analysis."

"Precisely because these technologies themselves are not mature enough and are not standard equipment widely recognized by the industry, in order to avoid unnecessary controversy and doubt, we did not include the results of this part of the auxiliary characterization in the formally published Nature paper. Science requires rigor, and we chose a more conservative presentation method."

Zhang Tao's explanation is reasonable and shows the cautious attitude that a scientist should have.

At this moment, a reporter from an authoritative domestic technology media who was sitting in the front row and had been arranged in advance raised his hand at the right time. The movement was a little too large and he even accidentally knocked over the recorder next to him.

This was a "hidden stake" that had been arranged long ago.

Cui Yan immediately understood and pointed at him.

"Hello, Academician Zhang! I am a reporter from Science and Technology Frontier. You just mentioned that in order to obtain accurate three-dimensional atomic position information, a technology that is still under development was used. Does this mean that this exciting new material technology still has some technical barriers to its true large-scale industrial application? For example, can this special characterization technology support subsequent more complex material design and optimization?"

This question perfectly handed over the ladder.

Zhang Tao's face immediately showed the honesty and a hint of "anxiety" that a scientific researcher would show when facing a difficult problem.

"Indeed, you mentioned a very crucial point." He sighed slightly, leaned forward, and his tone became solemn.

"At present, the core of our efforts is to develop a relatively complete set of 'material genome' methods based on chemical calculations."

Zhang Tao drew a grand blueprint based on the information provided by Chang Haonan:

"Its ultimate goal is to accurately predict and design the most optimized single atom type, arrangement form and carrier matching scheme for lithium batteries with different electrolyte systems and different application scenarios through computational simulation, and finally, based on this optimal design, deduce the most economical and efficient synthesis path and specific parameters."

This futuristic description made the eyes of everyone present light up.

It’s literally the holy grail of materials science!

However, Zhang Tao suddenly changed the subject, the helplessness and anxiety on his face instantly magnified, and his tone became low and heavy: "But! It is very regrettable that this crucial research work, which connects the past and the future, is currently in a state of... stagnation."

As expected, there was an immediate commotion of surprise from the audience.

"Yes, it's stagnant." Zhang Tao nodded heavily, his eyes sweeping across the room, "Because currently, the only partner that can provide us with this critical, atomic-level precision three-dimensional imaging information to support our material design and algorithm verification - Candlelight Technology, is... caught up in a serious patent lawsuit."

"Although our institute is very anxious and eager to promote this research and bring this technology to the benefit of industry and society as soon as possible," he said with a look of regret that he could not help. "However, without the core characterization data provided by Candlelight Technology as our eyes and ruler, our computational model is like a blind man touching an elephant, and the subsequent material design and optimization work... cannot be effectively promoted."

This news was like a bombshell, exploding in the conference hall where enthusiasm had just been ignited by the technological prospects and security demonstrations.

The whole place was in an uproar instantly!

“Patent litigation?”

"Candlelight Technology?"

"Collaboration is hindered? Research is stagnant?"

Reporters, especially foreign journalists with extremely keen noses, immediately captured the huge conflicts and breaking news hidden under this calm narrative!

The issues that were focused on technical details just now were instantly thrown behind the mind, countless arms were raised again, and the atmosphere in the conference hall suddenly became intense.

"Academician Zhang! Can you tell me which multinational companies are targeting Candlelight Technology?"

"Academician Zhang! What are the specific contents of the patent lawsuit? Is it related to this technology?"

“Academician Zhang! Does this mean that the industrialization of this revolutionary technology will be postponed indefinitely?”

"..."

Facing the surging questions from the audience, Zhang Tao raised his hand and made a downward gesture, signaling everyone to be quiet. He maintained a restrained expression on his face, as if he was not going to say more.

"Dear journalists, I'm very sorry." He said sincerely but helplessly, "The specific details of the patent dispute faced by Candlelight Technology are the company's business secrets and ongoing legal affairs. As a scientific research partner, it is inconvenient for us and we have no right to comment or disclose too much."

He paused for a moment, as if weighing his words.

"What I know is very limited. I only know that Candlelight Technology seems to have been challenged by patent lawsuits initiated by some... multinational companies with considerable industry influence," he explained. "These lawsuits have seriously hindered Candlelight Technology from conducting normal business cooperation and technical exchanges with other international giants in related fields. This has directly led to the advancement of some of their key businesses, including their ability to provide scientific research support for us... being greatly restricted."

Zhang Tao concluded with a tone of deep regret: "I can only say that this situation has not only affected the business development of Candlelight Technology itself, but has also really hindered the research progress of scientific research institutions like us in key areas. Ultimately... it may affect the implementation of a breakthrough technology that could have benefited the world more quickly. This is undoubtedly a loss for the entire industry."

He bowed slightly and said, "This is all the information I can provide. Thank you, everyone."

There was no accusation, no sensationalism, just a statement of a "regrettable" fact with the somewhat clumsy frankness that is unique to scientists.

However, it is this kind of "restraint" that is more powerful than any fierce accusation.

The press conference had not yet been officially announced to be over, but the audience was already in chaos.

Foreign journalists all lowered their heads, fingers tapping rapidly on their mobile phone keyboards, preparing to send the breaking news that "Candlelight Technology is being hunted by multinational corporations for patents, and its revolutionary battery technology may be delayed" back to headquarters.

Domestic journalists were filled with indignation and began to think about how to conduct in-depth reporting on "transnational capital suppressing national high-tech enterprises."

A storm triggered by top scientific achievements and fueled by the global capital carnival has finally been directed at the instigator of the patent war hidden behind the scenes.

The most crucial move of the chess game set up by Chang Haonan thousands of miles away, "Checkmate", has already taken place!