Chapter 1564 There is still a trump card
Just 48 hours later, the "Initiative on Jointly Launching the Establishment of the Open Microscopic Characterization Technology Consortium (OMCC)" jointly signed by Huiju Technology and Candlelight Technology was officially released to the world through official press releases and major international science and technology media channels.
The wording of the initiative is grand and inspiring, emphasizing concepts such as "open standards", "interconnection", "empowering scientific research", and "accelerating innovation", and depicting a beautiful vision of breaking down equipment barriers, free flow of data, and jointly advancing the boundaries of human cognition of the microscopic world.
The proposal was like dropping a depth bomb on a lake that had not yet calmed down. The world's mainstream technology and financial media were once again excited, scrambling to report on this revolutionary industry initiative.
As Chang Haonan expected, within less than 24 hours after the release of the initiative, the remaining giants issued official statements almost one after another, expressing that they "highly agree with the concept of the initiative", "are willing to actively participate in the establishment of the alliance", and "look forward to jointly promoting the future development of micro-characterization technology."
Such quick and consistent statements have once again made keywords such as single-atom array catalysts and lithium batteries the core focus of global public opinion.
The enthusiasm of the capital market has been rekindled, and stocks related to the new energy industry chain have risen accordingly.
Of course, not everyone is happy with this.
For example, traditional auto giants are feeling unprecedented pressure.
That afternoon, Akio Toyoda, who could no longer sit still, appeared on a high-end talk show on NHK.
However, even Toyota does not dare to confront this trend head-on. It can only say that the combination of batteries and electric motors may become a new option for automotive power, but it also needs to pay attention to the safety hazards of batteries under harsh working conditions and the difficulty of recharging.
In addition, he also emphasized that although the zero emissions of electric vehicles during driving are certainly gratifying, the production and manufacturing process of high-energy-density lithium batteries also consumes energy and produces pollution emissions, the intensity of which may be far beyond the public's imagination.
Chang Haonan sat behind the large desk in the Torch Laboratory, with an interview with Akio Toyoda playing on the monitor in front of him.
Looking at the other party's worried look and his "devotion" to the healthy development of the industry, Chang Haonan's mouth curled up in an arc that was difficult to suppress.
He is very clear about the strategic intention behind this argument - to take advantage of the limitations of the public's understanding of technology and their simple expectations for environmental protection to buy breathing space for the traditional technology route and delay the impact of the electrification wave.
However, in the face of the performance leap brought by single-atom array materials and the industrial shock caused by the alliance initiative, Akio Toyoda's "mature and prudent" concerns are destined to be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, unable to create much waves, and will soon be submerged in the torrent of capital and technology.
Just as the video was about to end, the intercom on the table rang.
It was Liu Chenchen's voice: "Boss Chang, Director Wan from the Science and Technology Committee is here to visit us without an appointment. He said he has something important to discuss. What do you think...?"
Chang Haonan was slightly surprised.
The other party is in a high position and is very busy, so it is rare for him to come to your door without saying hello.
But he immediately responded: "Please ask Director Wan to come in."
Soon, the office door was gently pushed open, and Director Wan walked in under the guidance of Liu Chenchen.
He is in his fifties and is in good shape.
As soon as I entered the room, I caught a glimpse of the frozen image on the monitor on Chang Haonan's desk - it was Akio Toyoda's face full of "worry".
"Academician Chang is still paying attention to the speech of the Toyota president?" Director Wan sat down opposite Chang Haonan, his tone calm and no emotion could be heard.
Chang Haonan turned off the monitor and said, "I just happened to catch up, so I'll take a look at what they have to say."
Director Wan took the hot tea handed over by Liu Chenchen and asked, "Academician Chang, what is your personal prediction on the future position of electric vehicles in the entire transportation system?"
Chang Haonan gave an answer almost immediately: "In a short period of time, it is unlikely to completely and thoroughly replace traditional fuel vehicles, but it should occupy a considerable market share and be on par with fuel vehicles for a long time in the future."
"Academician Chang's analysis is highly consistent with our internal research and judgment based on the latest data." Director Wan showed a hint of approval on his face, and then his expression turned serious. "To be honest, this is exactly why I took the liberty to visit you today."
Then he pulled out a document from his bag:
"One of the important tasks of the Science and Technology Committee recently is to take the lead in formulating the Outline of the Medium- and Long-Term Development Plan for China's New Energy Automobile Industry (2013-2025). The core goal is to build an industrial chain from upstream key materials, midstream core components, to downstream vehicle manufacturing and supporting services based on our potential advantages in core areas such as batteries, motors, and electronic controls, to guide and support my country's automobile industry to achieve a true 'overtaking on the curve' and move from an automobile power to an automobile powerhouse."
Chang Haonan looked at the heavy documents in his hand and thought that he couldn't finish reading such a thick document in a short time, so he nodded and praised: "The intention is lofty, the deployment is thorough, and it is a great plan... So, is there anything I can do?"
Director Wan leaned forward slightly and said, "This plan is still in its infancy. Our original plan was to advance it in a low-key manner, taking advantage of our accumulation in basic fields such as battery materials and the huge domestic market advantages to quietly complete the industrial chain layout and technological advancement, and then launch an impact on the global market when the time is right. However..."
There was a subtle hint of complex emotion in his tone: "Academician Chang, the breakthrough achievements you and Academician Zhang Tao's team have made in single-atom array catalysts... have pushed lithium batteries and the entire new energy industry into the spotlight of the world stage ahead of time, and have become the absolute focus of global capital and technological competition."
He paused for a moment and finally asked the core concern of this trip: "I am here to listen to your professional judgment and valuable suggestions. In this new situation where the world is focusing on us and powerful enemies are surrounding us, will the certainty of success of our plan aimed at 'overtaking on the curve' be greatly reduced?"
After listening to Director Wan's frank and strategic concerns, Chang Haonan actually showed a smile of understanding on his face.
He did not answer directly, but stood up and said, "Director Wan, your question involves the deep-seated pattern of future industrial competition. It may not be intuitive enough to describe it with words. If your time permits, I would like to ask you to move over and take a look at some...the work in progress."
Director Wan's eyes flashed with curiosity, and he immediately stood up: "Of course, the guest follows the host's wishes."
Chang Haonan took Director Wan through the strict security access control and took a special elevator to the supercomputing center located deep in the Torch Experiment Base, which has constant temperature and humidity and multiple electromagnetic shielding and physical protections.
In the huge computer room, rows of cabinets emit a low and steady hum, and indicator lights flash like stars. Chang Haonan stops in front of a workstation connected to a huge high-definition display and quickly enters a command.
The screen switches instantly, no longer showing boring codes or running status, but presenting a dazzling dynamic simulation of a three-dimensional molecular model.
Countless tiny ball-and-stick models are delicately combined, arranged and exchanged with energy under the influence of complex force fields.
"Director Wan, your main area of research is vehicle engineering, so you don't need to delve into the details of microscopic chemistry."
Chang Haonan pointed to a highlighted, ingeniously structured composite model in the center of the screen:
"What we are simulating and designing now is a hollow carbon nanoparticle with a special multi-level pore structure. Through theoretical calculations, its inner and outer surfaces are precisely 'anchored' to a diatomic active site array composed of nickel and cobalt in a specific proportion and geometric configuration. This structural design gives it extremely unique physical and chemical properties."
Although Director Wan is not very familiar with chemical formulas, he still has basic scientific knowledge.
He almost immediately thought of the single-atom cobalt array catalyst that changed the world before: "So this is... a new type of catalyst that is more powerful than before? Used to further improve the performance of lithium batteries?"
"Yes, but not completely." Chang Haonan magnified a key area of the model. "If it is just used as a catalyst, it is of course very strong. But our ultimate goal in designing it is to solve a more challenging and promising direction in the field of lithium batteries - the core bottleneck problem of lithium-sulfur batteries!"
