Material Engineer Chulwoo Lee (5)
A meeting was being held at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China.
“Have you analyzed the MI system that came in from Korea?”
Manager Xiao Chencheng asked a subordinate.
“Yes. I made a request directly to our laboratory.”
“Um… are the results yet?”
“Yes. I was told that I would have to wait another two months. Do you have any problems?”
“It takes a little while for Korea to suddenly respond to our request.”
“If Korea is moving as we intended, isn’t it rather good?”
I asked with a puzzled expression from a subordinate.
“It’s probably not Korea. To be precise, it must be Lee Cheol-woo’s will.”
“Um…. Lee Cheol-woo is an existence that Korea can’t help either?”
“According to my analysis, yes. When we banned exports of rare earths, we set up a number of scenarios. Among them, the most unlikely scenario is working.”
While weaponizing rare earths, they came up with several scenarios.
The first and most likely scenario is that Lee Cheol-woo goes into exile in another country under pressure from South Korea.
The second most likely scenario was that South Korea chose Lee Cheol-woo and accepted the export ban on rare earths.
If you choose the second option, losing Ohsung Electronics was a huge blow in Korea in its own way.
The next option was for Lee Cheol-woo to come out receptively.
I thought that the probability was very low, but it was unexpectedly going to that option, and the manager was uneasy.
“I know the scenario. Well, isn’t that the best way? As a result, I’ll be able to steal all of Lee Cheol-woo’s skills.”
“That’s what it takes.”
“May I ask in what way?”
“MI was a technology that we could copy to some extent. However, Arc Intelligence is different. Arc Intelligence, which we proudly showed at the last fair. If we ask for it, how will it come out?”
“Um…. We’re not going to provide technology anyway, right? But if we continue to launch other strategic attacks, we’ll have no choice but to give it to you. Lee Chul-woo’s choice made it clear this time, Lee Chul-woo has no intention of leaving Korea. That’s Lee Cheol-woo’s weakness.”
“That’s right. The scenario plan is… but why does it feel so ominous?”
“It’s raining.”
“I wish it was Kiwoo.”
Someone ran to Director Xiao Chencheng during the meeting.
“Boss, there is a piece of news that came in a while ago.”
He was an employee who was monitoring Lee Cheol-woo’s movements.
“What’s the news?”
“Chul-Woo Lee submitted a thesis to Nature this time. The content of the thesis is ‘the two-dimensional structure of boron’.”
“The two-dimensional structure of boron? What is it?”
“There is nothing special about it. It is a paper on how to make boron into a two-dimensional structure.”
“Is there anything else special?”
“What do you mean by special content?”
“For example, what material properties does the two-dimensional structure of boron have, and whether it is a stable material.”
He had doubts about Lee Cheol-woo suddenly publishing such a paper.
Submit your thesis at this point?
I started smelling something musty.
“There was no information about the material properties. However, it is not a stable material. At room temperature, the molecular structure is disturbed.”
“hmm…….”
Xiao Qiancheng was deeply troubled.
‘Isn’t it a stable substance? There are no properties for matter?’
Are you just doing your job?
“What are you worried about?”
“I wondered if the two-dimensional structure of boron could replace rare earth elements.”
From noble mtl dot com
“Hmm…. If I dare to say something, it’s nonsense. First of all, the molecular structure is dispersed at room temperature, and it is not known what material properties it has.”
“What if there are material properties that can replace rare earth elements?”
“First of all, that doesn’t make sense. To create material properties that can replace rare earths… you can’t simply have boron. Boron atoms don’t have those properties that rare earths have.”
“okay.”
“Chief, aren’t you worrying too much about Lee Chul-woo? Lee Chul-woo is a genius, but even so, he is only one person. No one person can withstand the pressure of our country. It’ll just be doing what it’s supposed to do.”
At his words, Director Xiao Chencheng nodded.
‘Since Chairman Ryu said something, it seems that he cares too much. How can only one person Lee Chul-woo defeat us?’
They were state institutions in China.
And their will is China’s will.
‘Don’t be sensitive just because of one person, Lee Chul-woo, and look at the bigger picture.’
Director Xiao Chencheng organized his thoughts about Lee Chul-woo, thinking that he was just taking it a little sensitively.
“Let me know when the MI results come out. The meeting is over.”
* * *
I succeeded in making a two-dimensional structure of boron, but when I actually made it, the material properties I wanted did not come out.
desired material properties.
There was no electronic interference, and the characteristics of lower resistance than silicon, which is an existing material, were required.
‘Well, it’s also not possible to simply make it a two-dimensional structure. Is it a matter of structure?’
There were also several two-dimensional structures.
It could be a two-dimensional structure in which the atoms were triangular, but also varied, such as squares, pentagons, and hexagons.
What I made was a triangular structure.
‘Then shall we change it to a square structure?’
I tried that idea, but boron couldn’t be made into a square structure.
‘Then a pentagon?’
I considered making it into a pentagon, but pentagons were also impossible.
In the structure of an atom, there was an atomic nucleus with protons and neutrons gathered in the center, and electrons surrounded it.
The number of arrangements of electrons is 2s2 2p1.
It was not a structure that could be made even with a pentagon.
‘Well, you can’t change the electrons arbitrarily. Shouldn’t we use boron?’
Boron is the only element in Group 3A that can be considered a non-metal. That means boron is the most likely to make a new semiconductor material.
‘No, let’s try a little more.’
A few more possibilities were explored.
‘Wait a minute, isn’t the crystal structure a lozenge? Then, what would happen if an ionization reaction was triggered using an Ac control device and a high-pressure chamber?’
Obviously, if you work like that, a hexagonal structure will come out.
Squares and pentagons were not allowed, but there was a way to make hexagonal structures.
‘Okay, let’s experiment right away.’
I don’t know what kind of structure I can make right now to get the material properties I want, so I decided to try it unconditionally as soon as I thought of a method.
First, the high-pressure chamber, which was newly introduced on the 3rd floor, was set up, and the AC control device and ionizer were also set up.
‘Hmm, there’s a problem.’
During the setting, I realized that the high-pressure chamber and Ac controller could be worked on at once, but the ionization work could be done after that.
As soon as the neutralized boron is taken out of the high-pressure chamber, it will combine with oxygen and hydrogen in the atmosphere to become a stable substance called boric acid.
Umm… … .
As I was thinking about how to solve it, I came up with a very good method.
I immediately called Researcher Jung.
“Did you call me?”
“Yes. I need one.”
“What do you need? Just tell me.”
“We need a space that can block oxygen. Please prepare an oxygen-free laboratory.”
“……? yes?”
“I came up with a new method, but in order to test it, oxygen must be cut off. An ionizer and a high-temperature/high-pressure chamber must also be put inside, hmm… As for the size, this empty space that hasn’t been used yet will look good.”
He pointed to the remaining space on the third floor and said.
About the size of a large room in a house.
“Here? To decorate this whole place as an oxygen-free space. Uh…… Even if you roughly guess it, it seems like 10 billion will break? Is it worth experimenting that much?”
If you’re asking if it’s worth experimenting with… … .
“I don’t know. I’m just trying.”
“…… you mean spending 10 billion on a draw?”
I slightly sympathized with Researcher Jung’s words.
Creating a new material that I am currently doing felt a bit like a drawing game. Once you make a stable substance, expect what kind of properties it will produce.
“hahahaha, you have that much money.”
“That’s true, but… if you’re sure, it’s worth investing in, but why don’t you find a lab in Korea? It’s too expensive.”
“Do you have one? An anaerobic laboratory of this size? Can it be used alone?”
“I’ll have to look for it… but wouldn’t it be there? If it’s not there, you can go abroad.”
“All right. Just invest. And hurry up with the installation, because you have to do it as soon as possible. Any budget is fine.”
“…… We don’t have that kind of budget, so we can talk to LF, right?”
“Yes. LF is investing about 100 billion won more. Other facilities may be needed. I’ll tell you.”
If there is a possibility of a new semiconductor material, there are plenty of places to invest money, such as LF, Ohsung, or Korea.
Among them, getting investment from my company, LF, was the easiest and fastest.
“If it’s 10 billion…”
Researcher Jeong shook his head and said
* * *
A week later, the construction of the anaerobic laboratory was completely completed.
“Wow… Really, it’s really fast.”
“I think I used some strength in LF.”
“is it so?”
“Yes. It seems that CEO Cha ordered it to be handled first. The next day after the order, technicians from the United States brought equipment and arrived on a plane.”
“Crazy… Really, it’s fast.”
“That’s right. No matter how much money I give, it won’t work… I guess LF’s strength is rather good.”
Well, if you think about it, how many companies want to look good to us?
ITE-X engine, and arc intelligence and humanoid created this time.
There are many other things, but there are many companies that want to look good in our LF.
Minseok must have taken advantage of that.
“Then shall we live up to expectations?”
“By the way, what kind of experiment are you doing?”
“Well, last time you made boron into a two-dimensional triangular structure, right? This time I’m going to make it into a hexagonal structure.”
“……I don’t know that well, but I heard from Director Min that it’s very difficult. No, they say it’s impossible? Is it that easy?”
“It’s not easy. That’s why I created an anaerobic laboratory.”
“Uh…. I don’t mean that. Really, I heard that it might take years of research to come out.”
“ha ha ha.”
Leaving Researcher Jung’s words behind, I sterilized and entered the oxygen-free laboratory wearing an oxygen mask.
Then, boron was immediately put into the high-temperature and high-pressure chamber and the work continued.
Then when a certain temperature and pressure are reached. Current was passed through the AC controller.
The boron in the chamber then became a mushy liquid.
It was deuterated boron.
The flask containing deuterated boron was carefully taken out of the chamber and lifted.
‘done. It does not combine with oxygen.’
If there was oxygen in this space right now, it would have combined with oxygen to become boric acid, but it did not become boric acid because there was no oxygen, and it remained as deuterated boron.
Next, it was immediately put into the ionization equipment and ions were implanted.
‘If an ion is added to the neutralized boron… … . You will be able to achieve a stable hexagonal structure.’
And after a while, I heard from the ionization equipment that the work was over.
I immediately took it out and looked at it under an electron microscope.
‘… … . it’s okay! Boron forms a two-dimensional hexagonal structure.’
I watched it a little longer to see if it would be unstable.
‘It’s stable enough even at room temperature.’
It was stable enough.
Finally, I came out of the oxygen-free laboratory with the two-dimensional hexagonal structure of boron.
“……. What is that?”
“Wait a minute. I need to check once more to see if it’s combined with oxygen.”
Due to ionization, it will not bond with oxygen separately.
I had to check one more time.
When observed with an electron microscope, boron was stably forming a two-dimensional hexagonal structure.
“It’s done! It’s a success.”
Boron with a stable two-dimensional structure at room temperature was completed.
Indeed, what properties does this material have?