One year later, on the third day of the first lunar month, Xu Chuan returned to the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Engineering Base.
The problem of magnetic surface tearing during the fusion of deuterium and tritium raw materials and the selection of first wall materials, the two biggest problems in the deuterium and tritium fusion ignition experimental stage, have been revealed and thought.
As soon as this is resolved, the construction of the demonstration reactor can begin.
Striking while the iron is hot, without knowing the progress of controllable nuclear fusion in Western countries, all he can do is try to speed up his own pace.
In the third year of junior high school, it was not only him who returned to work, but also Zhao Guanggui's team who developed the first-wall carbon composite materials, as well as the researchers and engineers who came back after the annual vacation.
In the Computational Materials Research Laboratory, Qixia Institute of Controlled Nuclear Fusion Engineering.
Xu Chuan found Zhao Guanggui, who was leading a team that was working hard to develop new carbon composite materials.
"How is the situation?" After finding Zhao Guanggui, Xu Chuan asked.
Naturally, he was asking about the development of new carbon composite materials made using zirconium oxide instead of hafnium oxide as a catalyst. After all, this is the key to hopefully solving the first wall problem.
Zhao Guanggui shook his head and said: "It's not ideal. Although the chemical properties of hafnium oxide and zirconium oxide are very similar, they are not the same substance after all."
"On the last day of the year, although we successfully produced a carbon composite material using zirconia as a catalyst, the test results were not very good."
"Whether it is in terms of high temperature resistance or radiation resistance, it is inferior to carbon composite materials made using hafnium oxide as a catalyst, and the parameters cannot meet the requirements of the first wall."
Xu Chuan asked: "Does the problem occur in that special and uniquely ordered carbon nanotube hafnium crystal structure?"
Zhao Guanggui nodded and sighed: "Well, after using zirconium oxide instead of hafnium oxide as the catalyst, although carbon composite materials can also be produced, the uniquely ordered carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal structure has not appeared."
"Your previous speculation is correct. From this point of view, that special crystal structure is the key to greatly improving the high temperature resistance and radiation resistance of hafnium oxide carbon composite materials."
After thinking for a while, Xu Chuan said: "Take me to see the experimental data."
"Okay." Zhao Guanggui nodded, took Xu Chuan to another laboratory, and turned on a computer.
On the display screen, a piece of data was called up.
Zhao Guanggui stepped aside and said respectfully: "This is the test data. Time is tight. There are still some radiation resistance tests that have not been completed. It is estimated that it will take about three days to obtain complete data."
Xu Chuan didn't care and said: "It's okay, I'll take a look first."
Sometimes, understanding the properties of a material does not necessarily require all testing data.
Compared with other things, he only needs to look at the scanning electron microscope imaging images and related data of this new material.
The main reason for the failure of material development is that zirconium oxide fails to hook up with carbon atoms according to the ideal and form a specially ordered carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal structure.
If you can find this reason and solve it, that's almost it.
Putting his palm on the mouse, Xu Chuan swiped the information and his eyes fell on the scanning electron microscope test results.
Judging from the imaging images, the carbon composite materials produced by using zirconium oxide instead of hafnium oxide as the catalyst and enhancer do not have the specially ordered carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal structure.
The carbon nanotubes in the material are stacked together in a disorderly manner. From a crystal structure perspective, they are no different from ordinary sheets formed by pressing carbon nanotube powder.
In other words, zirconium oxide does not play a catalytic role in the material and does not eutecticize with the carbon nanotube material to form carbon nanotube zirconium crystals.
While looking through the test data, Xu Chuan asked Zhao Guanggui beside him: "Have you ever speculated on the cause?"
Zhao Guanggui said with a wry smile: "Yes, there is, but we can't analyze any results in a short period of time."
"Theoretically, zirconium and hafnium are both lanthanide shrinkage elements with very similar chemical properties and the same outer electron arrangement. There should not be a situation where hafnium can form a crystal structure but zirconium cannot."
It is difficult to analyze a material and understand its formation causes and processes from the perspectives of physics, chemistry, and materials science.
What's more, they don't even know why hafnium oxide is used as a catalyst to form a unique carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal structure in carbon composite materials.
In this case, it is too difficult to find out why zirconium oxide cannot be used as a catalyst to symbiotically produce a carbon nanotube-zirconium crystal structure.
Xu Chuan touched his chin and said, "Send me this test data and I'll go back and take a look first."
His attainments in materials are not comparable to ordinary materials researchers like Zhao Guanggui. Theoretically, it is no problem for zirconium to replace hafnium and symbiosis with carbon nanotubes to form a unique crystal structure.
But since there is a problem now, it means there is a problem there.
He planned to go back with these data to study and see if he could find the problem through calculation of material mathematics.
Although the Chuanhai Institute of Materials has a material calculation model, the model is ultimately dead and incomplete and cannot take into account all aspects.
So he was going to study it himself.
With the data in hand, Xu Chuan returned to the office.
For him, mathematics is not only an independent subject, but also a powerful scientific research tool that assists other subjects.
Although many times, especially in materials science, the results obtained through mathematical calculations cannot directly provide answers, the relevant analysis can serve as a reference and help him avoid many detours when developing new materials.
Especially now, he does not need to analyze it from beginning to end, it is enough to only deal with specific links.
Staring at the data and pictures on the computer, Xu Chuan fell into deep thought.
Although computational materials are his area of expertise, it is still quite difficult to pinpoint the problem of zirconia's inability to coexist with carbon nanotubes.
After thinking for a while, he picked up the ballpoint pen from the table
