Section 226
He was over 80 years old, but his steps seemed to have become stronger.
Gram hurriedly followed him and shouted, "Professor, slow down! Wait for me!"
Soon, according to the steps given in the paper, he synthesized the three materials and began to prepare batteries.
As the measurement results came out.
"The energy density is as high as more than 900 watt-hours per kilogram!"
Looking at this result, Whittingham was extremely shocked.
And Gram next to him also stared.
He couldn't help but mutter: "This energy density... is two or three times higher than the most advanced battery currently?"
"More than that?" Whittingham pointed to the battery he assembled and said: "Look at how simple my battery is. I bet that if this structure is further optimized, the energy density can continue to increase by four or five hundred!"
"Moreover, this kind of data on paper is actually not very meaningful from a scientific research perspective. You have to know that whether it is a lithium-sulfur battery or a solid-state battery, the most important thing is its feasibility. Being able to build it and make it run stably is the key."
"Think about it, even if the previous lithium-sulfur battery or solid-state battery technologies were built, could they be used? Can they? Can we safely put it on the consumer market? "
Whitingham shook his head and said, "Definitely not. Even if it has a certain degree of safety, the technology that expires after half a year will only be criticized by consumers."
"Now, these three technologies are completely feasible and can withstand the test of consumers."
He sighed and said, "I can bet with you that the battery market will change drastically within two years at the latest. Now lithium-ion batteries should account for 60% of the battery market, right?"
Gram said, "According to our company's research results, it has reached 70%. "
Whitingham was slightly surprised: "Is it that high?"
But then he shook his head again, but he was not too surprised.
With the development of various human technologies to date, in terms of batteries, there is indeed no other material that can replace the superior performance of lithium batteries.
As for the magnesium-ion batteries, aluminum-ion batteries, etc. envisioned, compared with lithium batteries, their theoretical performance is not that good.
Therefore, it is very normal that the market share of lithium batteries is getting higher and higher. In the consumer electronics market alone, there are basically only lithium batteries. As for electric vehicles, there are also heresies such as fuel cells, but basically only Japanese and Korean cars use this technology. After all, Japan and South Korea have invested a huge amount of money in fuel cells, especially Japan, which is almost a classic bet on national destiny.
Unfortunately, they all failed in their bets, and they are not as good as the lithium batteries developed by China.
Then Whittingham said: "Believe me, since the lithium-sulfur solid-state battery has been born, it is estimated that within five years, it will be able to grab 20% of the market. As the production cost decreases in the future and the price becomes cheaper, the remaining market size will be quickly replaced."
"Xiao Yi should have applied for patents for these three technologies, right?"
Gram nodded, with a bad tone: "According to the results of our investigation, it has indeed been applied for."
Whitingham shook his head: "It seems that the battery market in the future will completely become the Chinese."
Gram was silent and did not refute, because he knew very well that what Whittingham said was true.
In the current battery market, Linde and Diaby from China together account for more than 50% of the market share, ranking first and second in the world respectively. Among the top ten companies, Chinese companies directly occupy six seats, accounting for more than two-thirds of the global market share.
And now, even lithium-sulfur solid-state batteries have appeared in China, which has made energy companies outside China such as ExxonMobil feel a great pressure.
Of course, Gram, as an executive of ExxonMobil, is also very clear about the reasons for this situation.
After all, the reason why China wants to vigorously develop new energy is also caused by them.
"Then professor, I won't bother you. I'll go back to the company first and report the situation."
"Okay, take care."
Whittingham nodded.
Standing at the door of the laboratory, he stood at his waist and watched Gram leave. He returned to the laboratory, picked up the experimental data, and looked at it with appreciation.
As for the market size, he didn't care at all. After all, he was over 80 years old, and these things were no longer worthy of his attention.
He was already satisfied enough to see someone make such a huge progress in lithium battery technology again.
…
Time passed quickly. As these three papers were discovered and the lithium-sulfur solid-state battery technology was successfully verified, the battery market experienced huge fluctuations.
In the stock market, the share prices of battery-related companies fell rapidly.
And these companies also held meetings overnight to discuss solutions to this new technology.
But there is no doubt that they all know very well that no matter how much they think about the solution, there is no good way to deal with this kind of thing.
Who let others be too advanced?
Unless they can also achieve a major breakthrough in this technology.
However, it is not so easy to make a breakthrough. Otherwise, they have invested so much money in this area for so many years, wouldn't they have already made a lot of achievements?
Of course, for the academic community, these three achievements can also be said to have made many research groups burst their minds.
Xiao Yi directly made such awesome materials, doesn't it make their research projects useless?
Others have been able to use them, but they are still in laboratory conditions.
The results that could have been published in "Nature" and "Science" may now only be published in the ordinary first area, and the papers that could have been published in the ordinary first area may only be reduced to the third or fourth area.
For a time, the academic community was also wailing.
Some of the research teams were supported by some large companies. As a result, as soon as this incident happened, these research teams were directly scolded by the company leaders and then disbanded on the spot.
What can they do?
Scientific research is like this, the winner takes all, and with a major breakthrough in technology, there will inevitably be a mess.
Only one person can stand on the tip of the wave of the times.
However, some are happy while others are sad. It is a tragedy for other companies and laboratories, but for consumers, this is great news.
There are many people discussing this matter on various social platforms.
There are even more people discussing it on Weibo and Zhihu in China. After all, China is the leader in the battery industry, so it is normal for many people to discuss it.
On Zhihu, related questions are even on the top three hot lists.
[The team led by Xiao Yi has successfully made a very significant breakthrough in battery technology. The three related papers have been published in the two top journals "JACS" and "ACS Nano". How do you interpret this news? ]
Click on this question, and the answerer with the first high praise is a researcher specializing in various fields such as materials and electrochemistry, and he is also a professor at Qinghua University.
[Thank you for the invitation. I finally met a question that matches my major.
As for how to interpret this news, I only need to say one thing: the battery life of the mobile phone you are holding right now will be guaranteed to increase by two or three times in the future. The current mobile phones are generally 5000mah, so in the future it may be 15000mah, or even 20000mah, and if you want to use this kind of battery life, you only need to wait for another year.
Of course, maybe you are holding a laptop or a tablet device, but it is still the same. You will soon be able to use a laptop or tablet with three or four times the current battery life.
Especially for laptops, if you are using a Windows computer now, have you ever envied the powerful battery life of Mac laptops? Don't worry, you will soon be able to use a battery life that is even stronger than the current Mac laptops. Of course, if you are using a Mac computer now, don't worry, you will soon be able to use a Mac with a battery life of more than three days.
Of course, in addition to this, there are friends who want to drive pure electric vehicles. In the near future, the range of pure electric vehicles can easily reach more than 1,000 kilometers, and even if it is a high-performance pure electric vehicle, 2,000 kilometers is completely possible!
Moreover, the low-temperature power loss problem of electric vehicles, which was originally criticized, will no longer be a problem with the support of lithium-sulfur solid-state batteries. According to the test results of major laboratories, even in extreme environments such as minus 50 degrees, it can maintain 80% of its performance. And you must know that oil cars may not be able to start in low-temperature environments, but electric cars do not have this problem. So to some extent, pure electric vehicles using lithium-sulfur solid-state batteries will beat oil cars in all aspects except that they can't run after adding oil.
Of course, if you use a hybrid car, just ignore what I said.
But it is undeniable that pure electric vehicles will truly achieve zero emissions, will truly help improve the environment, and will not affect people's travel experience at all.
In short, the lithium-sulfur solid-state battery developed by Professor Xiao Yi will become a technology that truly changes people's lifestyles! 】
Chapter 204 The Value of Patents
The answer given by the professor of Qinghua University can undoubtedly surprise everyone.
After all, the advancement of science and technology is a real benefit that everyone can enjoy.
Just like from the original brick machine to the current smart phone, everyone has enjoyed the convenience brought by smart phones, as well as the change in entertainment methods, plus various other very simple functions, so that modern people can enjoy the life experience that people could not imagine decades ago even if they stay at home.
And now, this innovation in battery technology can actually solve the various pain points that people have encountered in their lives in the past.
The poor battery life of mobile phones is indeed a pain point!
For a while, in the comment area below this answer, netizens from all walks of life also fully expressed their own ideas.
[That's right! Now the various electronic products I use have an increasing demand for battery life. Mobile phones are basically charged twice a day. The battery life mentioned in the promotion has never been achieved. I urgently need a mobile phone that can be charged once every three days. 】
[My requirements are not that high. No matter how the phone is made, it can last for 23 hours. The remaining hour can be used for charging. The rest of the power can be used to improve other functions. For example, replace the screen with a brighter one with a higher refresh rate. Anyway, there is a lot of power, and those manufacturers do not need to compromise for battery life. They can replace more awesome functions. ]
[Damn, is it true? My hometown is in the northernmost part of the motherland. It can be said that my phone has problems every time I go home for the New Year. Can this battery really run at low temperatures? ]
[You can rest assured. Since they dare to promote it like this, there must be no big problem at minus 50 degrees. Solid electrolytes themselves have this function. Because at extremely low temperatures, liquid electrolytes may solidify, but solid electrolytes themselves are solid, so why do they need to solidify? ]
[Does it mean that pure electric vehicles can be used with confidence in the future? 2,000 kilometers of battery life are really not a joke? Also, is there a chance to realize the possibility of pure electric vehicles traveling across the country in the future? Can I go to Mohe and Xinjiang? Can it withstand low temperature? 】
【Of course, you can wait and see. Those car companies have such awesome batteries, so they will have to work hard to make them. 】
【Okay, I was planning to buy a pure electric car in the next few years, but now I can wait a little longer. 】
【When can I use it? Urgent! I am the King of Urgent! 】
【There should be corresponding products in a year at most, but you also know that the new technology has just been born, and the cost will definitely not be low. It is estimated that the price of the first batch of products will be relatively high. The price will only drop after the marginal cost is reduced. Of course, if you are rich, just ignore what I said. 】
【No matter, when the product comes out, I will try it out. 】
【……】
A bunch of netizens imagine the convenience that lithium-sulfur solid-state batteries can bring to them in the future.
Compared with the original high-temperature superconductors, such discussions are even more heated.
After all, the conditions for using high-temperature superconductors still need to be provided by some specialized equipment and institutions. Ordinary people generally do not have the need to use high-temperature superconductors in their living environment.