When the plane landed, Xu Chuan went directly to Xinghai Research Institute without even returning home.
In the Materials Research Institute, he did not go directly to the laboratory immediately, but found Zhao Guanggui first.
"Academician Xu...are you back so soon?"
Zhao Guanggui was still a little surprised when he saw Xu Chuan suddenly appearing in front of him.
After all, it had only been about three hours since he made the call, and this person actually rushed back so quickly.
Xu Chuan nodded and said, "We flew back on a special plane, so it's faster."
"How is the condition of the materials? Is there any new progress in the testing?"
Putting down the pen in his hand, Zhao Guanggui stood up and said, "I'm still analyzing. I haven't made much progress yet. I'll take you over to take a look."
Xu Chuan came back a little too fast. Three hours was not enough for them to advance much research.
"OK."
Xu Chuan nodded and followed.
Go out from the corridor, bypass several buildings, and enter a corner of the institute, where there is a six-story white building.
After verifying their identity and access control, the two took the elevator and entered a laboratory.
In the laboratory, two thin researchers wearing white coats had dark circles and exhaustion on their faces that could not be covered up even with thick makeup. However, their expressions were quite excited.
In front of them, there is a glass container filled with materials.
The material is not very big, less than the size of an adult man's fist. It is dark black overall, with some peacock blue granular crystals attached to the surface.
Of course, to be precise, this material is only half of it.
It is cut from a whole piece of material, the cross section is extremely smooth, and the dark cross section shimmers with some matte light.
This is their latest discovery of a brand-new mineral material from the moon. It comes from a large crater on the far side of the moon that they named "Yaochi" and is numbered HT·YCHXS20241228091176/052.
A very simple address and time rule naming method records which spacecraft this stone was collected from, at which place, at what time, and in how many missions.
After all, lunar exploration is no longer a strange project for them now.
It can be said that almost every two to three days, a space shuttle departs from the earth carrying supplies, or returns from the sea of stars carrying "specialties" from the moon.
...
"Wang Hang, have the test experimental data of the field emission scanning electron microscope been released?"
After opening the door, Zhao Guanggui asked the taller of the two researchers.
"Zhao Suo, Academician Xu."
In the laboratory, a researcher named Wang Hang turned around after hearing the sound. When he saw Zhao Guanggui and Xu Chuan, he greeted Zhao Guanggui and Xu Chuan and said quickly: "It will take about half an hour."
Field emission scanning electron microscope is a device for microscopic detection of material surfaces.
This kind of microscope is widely used in the analysis and observation of various types of samples, including analysis from micro to macro, as well as the acquisition of sample composition, macro-micro structural characteristics, micro-mechanical parameters, etc.
It can not only capture the morphology of the material surface, but also conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis of the fracture surface and components. It is widely used in ceramics, metals, biomaterials and other fields, and provides detailed reports of micro-area components.
For this new material and the material of naturally ordered carbon nanotubes that have been dissected, it can analyze the reasons for its generation and the required conditions to the greatest extent.
Xu Chuan nodded, walked to the experimental table, and looked at the other half of the material placed in the glass vessel: "Is this the newly discovered material this time?"
Zhao Guanggui nodded, glanced at the material in the glass vessel and said, "Well, this piece is one of the samples taken from the east impact wall of the Yaochi crater."
"one?"
Looking at this new rock-like material, Xu Chuan's eyes flashed with interest, and he asked curiously: "Are there any other samples?"
Zhao Guanggui nodded and said: "The Aerospace Research Institute brought back a large amount of raw ore. I don't know how much it is, but we got a total of 17 kilograms here."
"Among these 17 kilograms, we have now found a total of five lunar rocks with this arrangement of carbon nanotubes. This one has the highest content of carbon nanotubes and the most orderly arrangement."
17kg.....
Hearing this data, Xu Chuan's mouth moved, but he stopped talking.
Although he personally led the development of the space shuttle, he did not pay much attention to this aspect.
After all, these things are trivial matters to him, and the Aerospace Research Institute will not even report this kind of work to him in detail.
So he really didn't expect that the people from the space agency would transport lunar soil to the earth in such a "large amount".
The Materials Research Institute within Xinghai Research Institute alone was allocated a full seventeen kilograms.
This amount is almost the entire weight of lunar soil that could be harvested from a single moon landing before the space shuttle was developed.
How many lunar and lunar rock research institutions are there in the country?
Not to mention other things, if there is demand and research in this area in colleges and universities, I am afraid there are more than one book, right?
Taking into account other research institutions and those distributed to foreign countries, a rough estimate shows that the lunar soil and lunar rocks they collect on the moon each time are probably calculated in tons.
All I can say is that they are getting better now.
They are so wealthy that things like moon soil and moon rocks, which were so valuable that one gram could be sold for 100 million two years ago, can now be used to lose a pound of it.
In fact, it was just as Xu Chuan thought.
Today's lunar soil, lunar rocks and other materials are no longer planned according to kilograms, but are transported directly in batches.
In each batch, the quantity of ‘specialty products’ delivered is almost always measured in tons.
.....
"Bring me a pair of gloves."
Looking at the moon rock in the glass vessel, Xu Chuan said.
On the side, Zhao Guanggui quickly walked to the laboratory counter and found a pair of experimental gloves.
After taking the gloves and putting them on, Xu Chuan opened the glassware and took out the moon rock.
Visual observation shows that there are some peacock blue granular crystals attached to the dark rock surface, which looks like some kind of mineral is entrained in the cooled volcanic lava.
It is also a bit like molten material formed under high temperature and pressure after a meteorite impact.
"Is there a specific analysis report on the Yaochi crater? Is it a crater formed by a meteorite impact or a crater formed by a volcanic eruption?"
Although most of the craters on the moon were formed by meteorite impacts.
But not all craters are like this. There are also a small number of craters formed when the hot molten rock and gas inside the moon break through the surface and are ejected.
Of course, there are some other formation methods, but the probability is very small.
But in any case, first understanding the specific reasons for the formation of this Yaochi crater will be of great help to them in understanding the orderly arrangement of these carbon nanotubes.
Each method has different conditions and environments. Once the exact formation method is found, they can simulate the corresponding environment to find ways to neatly arrange carbon nanotubes.
Zhao Guanggui shook his head and said: "It is still not possible to completely determine the specific cause of the formation of the 'Yaochi Crater'. It is a newly discovered and newly named crater that has not been studied before."
"But I have already contacted the Aerospace Research Institute and asked them to investigate clearly as soon as possible."
After a pause, he looked at the moon rock in Xu Chuan's hand and continued: "But according to the current information from the Aerospace Research Institute, it is more likely that the Yaochi crater was formed by volcanic eruptions."
"Because they said they seemed to have observed some accumulation mouths and lava cracks?"
"I don't really understand the specific situation. After all, I'm not a geologist. I can only leave this matter to the Aerospace Research Institute."
Xu Chuan nodded and said: "Okay, I'll notify the other side to raise the priority of this matter to the highest level. We need to determine the causes and conditions for the formation of the Yaochi crater as soon as possible."
Holding the moon rock in his hand, Xu Chuan visually observed it for a while and then walked towards a corner of the laboratory.
Before the experimental results of the field emission scanning electron microscope came out, he planned to use a high-resolution scanning electron microscope to look at the specific conditions of the material.
Although Zhao Guanggui had already sent him the relevant experimental data, looking at the experimental data and doing the experiment himself are two completely different concepts.
Wipe the sample stage with alcohol and lens paper, adjust the parameters, complete the background scan, and place the sample...
Place the moon rocks in your hands into the device as many times as you want. After the baseline correction is completed, the device automatically starts working.
The test cycle for high-resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM) usually takes 3-5 working days, which is the experiment Wang Hang and his colleagues are doing.
However, if a traditional high-resolution scanning electron microscope directly observes a sample, the time required is very short.
On the screen, the scanned and drawn image soon came into Xu Chuan's eyes.
This is a messy picture, with structures similar to bunches of grapes, peaks made of crystal points, and block structures similar to human bones.
The most prominent one is undoubtedly the overall carbon nanotube structure that spans a small half of the interface among these chaotic structures!
Traditional carbon nanotube materials, no matter what kind they are, are messy and dense under an electron microscope.
If I had to say it, it would be more appropriate to describe it with the curly black hair.
Messy, curly, and intertwined, it feels like your hair has not been washed or combed for more than ten years.
The carbon nanotubes in the material in front of me are as smooth and straight as the long hair of a Jiangnan woman.
Their dense and orderly arrangement in the material forms a structure similar to the integrated transistors in silicon-based chips.
If it is on a chip, the Materials Research Institute can test these neatly arranged carbon nanotubes through simple circuit experiments to see whether they have the characteristics of a semiconductor circuit.
But unfortunately, this is a piece of lunar rock raw material, and all they can do is analyze its structure, causes of formation, underlying materials, etc.
Of course, if they can really find a way to order carbon nanotubes neatly from above, then this regret will be nothing.
Compared with whether it has semiconductor properties, the latter is the most important.
The semiconductor properties of carbon nanotubes can be modified by other means, such as doping.
Just like single crystal silicon doped NP secondary, carbon nanotubes can also be completed by similar means, but the technical requirements are higher.
Looking at the images displayed on the computer screen, Xu Chuan couldn't help but sigh.
"It's so beautiful. Nature can always create unexpected masterpieces in places we can't imagine."
On the side, Zhao Guanggui nodded and agreed: "If this piece of moon rock was not collected from the lunar surface by the space agency, I would even suspect that it was made by other countries specifically to tease us."
"I never thought that carbon nanotubes could be so neatly and hierarchically arranged under natural conditions."
"This is incredible, so amazing."
Generally speaking, carbon nanotubes rarely exist in the natural environment.
It is a synthetic material, and carbon nanotubes occasionally appear only in incompletely burned carbon.
For example, in forest fires that occasionally occur, carbon nanotubes are found in the ashes and charcoal remaining after burning.
Other places and environments almost do not exist.
Especially in an environment like the moon, theoretically there are almost no conditions for the production of materials like carbon nanotubes.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! But nature is so magical. It not only exists on the moon, but is also naturally arranged into a neat and hierarchical structure.
It's like a natural carbon-based chip built by nature.
"By the way, speaking of this, do you think there will be carbon-based life forms in this universe that are completely different from ours?"
Looking at the experimental data on the computer screen, Zhao Guanggui suddenly remembered something and asked curiously.
Xu Chuan glanced at him, pondered for a moment and said, "You mean..."
Zhao Guanggui nodded, with a look of interest on his face, and continued: "Suppose that such neatly arranged carbon nanotubes naturally exist on the moon."
"Theoretically, as long as the conditions are consistent, it may not be impossible to construct a natural carbon-based chip."
Xu Chuan's eyes moved with a hint of interest, but he did not deny this possibility.
Indeed, the possibility mentioned by Zhao Guanggui is not impossible.
Although generally speaking, they usually think that this possibility will be more likely to be born in the form of silicon-based life. Because of silicon-based chips and the particularity of the silicon element, the possibility of the existence of silicon-based life is relatively high.
But now naturally ordered carbon nanotubes are right in front of us. Life similar to silicon-based life chips may also exist on carbon.
The wonders of nature are beyond their imagination, and the existence of carbon-based life may be far beyond their imagination.
If there really was a well-ordered deposit of large carbon nanotubes, it might have computing power similar to that of a supercomputer used by humans.
It might even be possible to create AI-like intelligence as a result.
Perhaps it is difficult to exist in the solar system, but the universe is so big that this possibility is almost infinitely magnified, but they are currently unable to find it.
