Chapter 1143
The Dark Side of the Matter! Copper-Based Superconductivity Breaks the Deadlock
This is the wall of thinking! Everyone thought that copper had already been "squeezed dry" of its potential, and subconsciously believed that it could no longer make a difference in the field of superconductivity.
Even Su Dingping himself did not initially consider copper as a possible superconducting substrate material.
The existence of the illustrated guide lingered silently in Su Dingping's mind.
For the past month, he has become the most diligent "apprentice" at the 303 Research Institute.
During the day, he would change into the same dark blue overalls as ordinary researchers and work alongside the various groups.
While handling targets in the sputtering room, he silently noted down the preparation parameters of different substrate materials and the workers' evaluation of the material stability during operation; in the liquid helium cryogenic laboratory, he endured the biting cold to assist in measuring magnetization data, and listened to the experimentalists who were stomping their feet from the cold complaining about the probability of the thin film structure breaking at extreme low temperatures.
In front of the electron microscope in the analysis room, he intently observed the high-resolution images, identifying the complex dislocations and grain boundary morphologies that caused fatal defects.
He was like a sponge, frantically absorbing every detail and pitfall about the preparation of superconducting materials.
These experiences and data, flowing from practice and imbued with sweat and setbacks, flowed like a gentle stream into the military industry encyclopedia deep within our consciousness, unnoticed by anyone, continuously eroding the numerical barrier surrounding the countdown to unlocking [composite superconducting crystal materials].
221 days... 198 days... 170 days... 133 days... Watching the countdown in his mind rapidly shorten, Su Dingping felt only one concept growing deeper and deeper.
Direction is more important than effort.
Hua Ming's team's approach, especially their exploration of the limits of graphite-based material properties, is challenging, but it seems to be on the right track with great potential!
Nighttime is the time for an even more frenzied "sweep".
Huaming's database is like a treasure trove of technology that has been sealed away for decades.
He collected many old documents forgotten or considered useless by mainstream research institutions, internal reports of failed experiments, and radical theoretical conjectures deemed "absurd," like scavenging for scraps, and locked them in huge filing cabinets, categorizing them by type.
These dusty papers and digital archives bear the sighs of countless colleagues who failed, and also contain overlooked gems.
Su Dingping plunged in headfirst.
Unlike Hua Ming, who focused on one or two "treasures," he used his super-fast reading speed and systematic summarization ability to conduct a horizontal scan.
What he needs is breadth, to find that overlooked "common inspiration" to stimulate and accelerate the unlocking process of the encyclopedia.
"Chief Engineer Su, aren't you asleep yet? It's almost two o'clock..."
In the corridor of the research institute's living area, Guo Xueyun was carrying a small thermos containing warm white fungus soup.
She looked at the small, temporary examination cubicle with the light on, which could only accommodate one person at a time, her voice filled with worry.
Su Dingping peeked out from the cubicle, his eyes bloodshot from staying up all night, but his spirit was still sharp as a knife.
"Almost there... Xueyun, it feels like we're just one step away from success..."
He took the thermos, his fingers feeling a little cold.
"Hua Lao's data is crucial, and so are these old documents... Some ideas flash in my mind like sparks, but I just can't quite grasp them..."
He smiled when he saw the obvious heartache in Guo Xueyun's eyes.
"Not tired at all! Compared to when we discovered the dragon scale alloy, this is quite comfortable!"
He quickly finished the warm soup and handed the pot back.
"Tomorrow... should be the last few copies. After reading them, I'll have a general idea of what's going on!"
Guo Xueyun sighed softly and brushed away a stray strand of hair that had fallen across his forehead.
"Then be careful... Don't burn out. So many people are waiting for you to lead the Tenglong to take flight!"
She knew she couldn't persuade him otherwise, so she could only whisper her advice.
The night grew deeper. The small cubicle was so cramped that it could only fit a chair and a small table.
Su Dingping huddled inside, like a lonely gold digger deep in a mine, accompanied only by the rustling of papers and the dim light of a desk lamp. Scattered on the table were numerous internal research reports from Huaming Research Institute from previous years on the electrical conductivity of copper alloy materials under various extreme conditions.
Time passed silently past midnight, and the simulated sky system outside the window lit up with a deep blue halo representing "three in the morning".
Su Dingping felt a dull throbbing pain in his temples, and his vision became somewhat blurred.
He rubbed his temples, and subconsciously flipped through another early internal conference compilation with yellowed pages and rough binding. Suddenly, his gaze fixed on the bottom right corner of a certain page!
It was a researcher's hasty question written down in pencil, the handwriting almost worn away by time.
"【Number: C-LG-1997-003】."
Memo on initial failure analysis of Y-series composite substrate solutions.
...To reiterate, the predominant failure mode remains the stress mismatch at the interface between the substrate and the subsequent superconducting layer, leading to premature film rupture.
Xiao Liu, a new member of the project team, proposed an idea.
Is it possible to find a substrate that is structurally easier to bridge with the lattice of mainstream superconducting materials? He mentioned several transition alloy forms of copper, believing that their unique lattice constants and d-orbital electronic properties have potential compatibility.
……in conclusion.
The mainstream research should focus on substrates with low modulus and poor rigidity to accommodate the inherent complex distortions of superconducting crystals. Copper alloys are too rigid and, being conductors by nature, are not a good substrate material choice. Therefore, all copper-based substrate research should be temporarily abandoned for the time being.
This record is too ordinary! Too insignificant! It's completely lost among other densely packed records filled with technical jargon; the text is so small that you have to point at it with your finger to barely make it out!
But the few scattered and vague terms like "copper transition alloys," "bridges," and "d-orbital electronic properties" were like a few pebbles sinking into an ancient well. They didn't just cause ripples, but rather created an invisible giant wave that shook Su Dingping's entire consciousness space!
In that instant! Su Dingping felt a silent yet incredibly clear cracking sound emanating from deep within his brain!
The progress bar for unlocking the [composite superconducting crystal material], which had been stubbornly blocking his way since he was in the military factory, suddenly and completely vanished, leaving only a few faint traces of dark red!
A wave of icy blue light instantly flooded his field of vision! A completely new, exquisitely beautiful, and exceptionally complex three-dimensional crystal structure model appeared, rotating and unfolding! [Technology Unlocked. Dragon Tendon Composite Superconducting Crystal Material System]
[Basic Template. Copper Transition Alloys]
[Core Structure. Rare earth elements induce the formation of a triple composite lattice of "superconductivity-charge separation-structural support"]
[Theoretical characteristics. Critical temperature exceeds the range of liquid nitrogen, critical magnetic field is extremely high, and current carrying capacity is close to the theoretical limit! Resistivity at room temperature and pressure is less than 10^-8 Ω·cm]
[Preparation Path: Preparation of amorphous copper-based alloy precursor -> High-energy electron beam pulse-induced phase transition -> Rare earth element ion pulse implantation -> ...]
Su Dingping suddenly tilted his head back, his back slamming heavily against the cold wall of the small cubicle with a dull thud!
His eyes were wide open, filled with disbelief, staring intently at the dim light on the ceiling, as if trying to pierce through the rock and look into the vast universe.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment!
The next second, an indescribable sense of immense regret and overwhelming emotions completely engulfed him like a tsunami!
"Copper...it's copper..."
Su Dingping's lips trembled, and the words he uttered were filled with intense dryness and a self-deprecating tremor.
He suddenly raised his hand and rubbed his stiff, cold cheeks hard, letting out a gasp like a trapped beast.
"How could you be so stupid! It's like the eye is blind to what's right under your nose... It's fucking like the eye is blind to what's right under your nose!"
His knuckles, clenched so tightly in his fist, turned deathly white from the force, and his nails dug deep into his palm.
For months, from the engineers at the military factory to himself, to the elite researchers at the 303 Research Institute, and even the stubborn Hua Ming, everyone's thinking had been trapped in an invisible cage! Copper wire for power transmission... too common! Too basic! Too "traditional"!
Its high resistance property is so well-known that when pursuing the unattainable room temperature superconductor, everyone instinctively and unanimously avoids the possibility of using copper as a base material for composites!
Everyone's eyes were fixed on those directions that seemed "more advanced" and "more heterogeneous"—ceramics, carbon, graphene... trying to find a breakthrough opportunity on these substrates that were so different from metals.
But they overlooked the ground beneath their feet! They overlooked the untapped and terrifying superconducting potential of the metal itself in its extremely complex structure!
Copper… this metal, which has served as a basic conductor for thousands of years… under the wondrous blending of certain rare earth elements and the transformative structural modification that turns lead into gold… it can itself be transformed into a near-perfect superconducting transporter! It can even… become the foundational framework for constructing more complex superconducting systems!
One of the superconducting lattice cores of the "Dragon Tendon" is ingeniously constructed on the modified copper lattice!
“Rare earth composite…induced phase transition…pulse injection…” Su Dingping murmured the few key terms he had glimpsed in the illustrations, each one like a hammer blow to his heart. The feeling of frustration almost suffocated him!
They studied so many complex doping methods and took so many difficult paths, but they never thought of conducting a thorough and subversive dissection and reconstruction of copper itself, which seemed to be "mainstream" but was considered "hopeless"!
It was past three in the morning, and the air in Su Dingping's cramped cubicle seemed to freeze.
"Copper...it's copper..." This thought echoed repeatedly in his mind with a tremendous roar, making every nerve tremble. An indescribable regret gripped his heart like cold claws, almost suffocating him.
He abruptly shook his head, forcefully casting aside the heavy, almost self-denying regret! A mistake is a mistake! Now is not the time for lamentation, but an opportunity to forcefully correct the wrong course!
time!
What he lacks most right now is time!
He plopped back into the creaking old chair, snapped on the brightest setting of the desk lamp, and the dim beam of light instantly illuminated the small table piled high with old, yellowed papers.
He quickly spread out the core notes in the metal briefcase, grabbed a few blank sheets of paper with the words "303 Institute Draft Paper" printed on them, pulled out a very ordinary black ballpoint pen from his pocket, and made a rapid and forceful "scratching" sound as the pen tip touched the paper.
The pen moved like a dragon and a snake! The handwriting became more unrestrained and messy than ever before due to excitement and high-speed writing, but the force almost pierced through the paper!
He no longer needed any references; the pictorial model deep within his consciousness appeared in perfect detail.
A complex and revolutionary structural diagram of a composite superconducting crystal material is quickly sketched, accompanied by dense annotations of key preparation routes, recommendations for the selection of rare-earth doping elements, and the energy window threshold range of high-energy pulses!
[Basic. Amorphous copper transition alloy precursors]
[Core: Construction of a triple composite lattice of rare-earth induced layer/superconducting layer/supporting layer! Three-dimensional interconnection is key!]
[Pulse sequence. Electron beam-induced amorphous to crystalline phase transition + targeted cluster implantation of rare earth ions! Energy superposition! Timing control precision must be higher than femtosecond levels!]
[Target Tc: Break through the 77K barrier! Target Hc2: Surpass existing strong magnet limitations! Loss below 10^-8 Ω·cm at room temperature and pressure!]
This is not a report, but more like pouring a technological volcano erupting in my mind onto paper in the most direct and explosive way!
One page is filled, then another is turned over! In the light of the desk lamp, only the rapidly moving pen tip and his focused, intensely focused profile are visible.
As the sky, projected through the camouflaged windowpane, revealed the first hint of dawn from the deepest navy blue, Su Dingping firmly grasped a stack of over twenty pages filled with wild ideas and core parameters.
He pushed open the thin metal door of the cubicle with a jolt, and the cold air rushed into his lungs, washing away the fatigue of a sleepless night with immense excitement.
Without any hesitation, he had a clear goal—heading straight to Huaming's core work area, which was filled with both "treasures" and "waste."
The research institute was beginning to see a few scattered voices. The researchers who were starting to appear subconsciously made way for Su Dingping when they saw his bloodshot but bright eyes and the stack of manuscripts he was clutching tightly in his hand, which looked as if they were still being "roasted".
Hua Ming was standing in front of the huge magnetron sputtering machine's main control panel, looking bitter and resentful as he angrily smoked a cigarette while staring at a magnetization curve on the screen that was still plummeting. Next to him was a cup of leftover coffee that had long since gone cold and turned dark black.
Amidst the swirling smoke, he exuded an aura of restlessness, as if he were desperately entangled in a difficult problem and yearning for a cathartic breakthrough.
"Elder Hua!"
Su Dingping's voice was slightly hoarse, yet it pierced through the background noise like a sharp weapon.
Upon hearing the sound, Hua Ming abruptly turned his short-haired, somewhat square-faced head, his bloodshot eyes glancing at Su Dingping and the stack of papers in his hand, his brows furrowing even more as usual.
"What are you doing? It's so early in the morning, spit it out! Can't you tell I'm annoyed?"
He flicked the nearly burnt-out cigarette butt and ash from his hand in frustration, his eyes conveying the message, "Don't bother me with your immature conjectures."
He thought Su Dingping had discovered some unorthodox method in some obscure document.
Su Dingping completely ignored his tone and slammed the thick stack of manuscript paper, still warm from the exertion of sleepless nights and the scent of ink, onto the coffee-stained control panel in front of Hua Ming. The force was so great that the cold coffee cup next to it shook. (End of Chapter)