Chapter 36 First Prototype

Two weeks later, the laboratory was filled with a tense atmosphere.

Lin Mo stood in front of the console, holding a palm-sized silver pouch cell in his hand.

This was the result of their two weeks of sleepless toil—the first complete Lithium-Sulfur Battery prototype.

Li Xiao leaned in close, eyes fixed on the battery, not daring to even breathe.

Zhang Zhe stood before the testing equipment, his finger hovering over the start button.

Academician and Su Qing crowded at the doorway, stretching their necks to look inside.

Even Zhao Gang had appeared outside the laboratory window at some point, looking in through the glass.

"Begin," Lin Mo said.

Zhang Zhe pressed the button.

Data began to flicker on the screen.

Voltage, current, capacity, energy density... Everyone stared at those numbers, holding their breath.

One minute, two minutes, five minutes...

"Preliminary data is out." Zhang Zhe's voice was calm, but Lin Mo could detect that hint of tension.

"How much?"

Zhang Zhe stared at the screen, silent for two seconds, then said, "Energy density, 420 watt-hours per kilogram."

The laboratory fell silent for a moment.

Then Li Xiao asked in a low voice, "420... is that considered high?"

No one answered her.

Lin Mo walked to the screen and looked at the number. 420.

The best lithium batteries on the market had an energy density of approximately 250 to 300.

420 was nearly 70% higher than the best lithium battery.

But what about the theoretical value?

The theoretical energy density of a Lithium-Sulfur Battery is 2600 watt-hours per kilogram.

420 was only one-sixth of the theoretical value.

Furthermore, the target given by the system was over 1200.

"It's much lower than expected," Zhang Zhe said, his voice devoid of emotion, "Only 16% of the theoretical value."

Lin Mo stared at the number, remaining silent for a long time.

Li Xiao looked at him, then at the screen, and said softly, "But... it's higher than the products on the market..."

"Not enough," Lin Mo finally spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse, "It's nowhere near enough."

He turned and walked out of the laboratory, leaving the others to look at each other in dismay.

In the hallway, Zhao Gang was leaning against the wall; he watched him come out but said nothing.

Lin Mo walked past him, took a few steps, then stopped.

"Captain Zhao," he said without turning his head, "Walk with me."

The two of them, one after the other, walked out of the laboratory building and onto the mountain path leading to the viewing platform.

Autumn was already deep.

The leaves on both sides of the road had mostly turned yellow, and as the wind blew, they fell with a rustle.

The distant mountains were layered upon each other, revealing shades of light and dark under the afternoon sun.

Lin Mo walked in front, saying nothing.

Zhao Gang followed behind, also silent.

After walking for about twenty minutes, they reached the viewing platform.

It was a small platform with a wooden railing, facing the largest mountain peak in the distance.

Lin Mo walked to the railing, held onto the wood, and looked into the distance.

Zhao Gang stood still beside him, took out a cigarette, lit it, and offered it to him.

Lin Mo paused, then shook his head, "I don't smoke."

Zhao Gang withdrew his hand and took a drag himself.

The two were silent for a long time.

Then Lin Mo spoke.

"420," he said, his voice very light, "70% higher than the best lithium battery. If I took this out, it would be enough to brag about for a lifetime."

Zhao Gang didn't speak.

"But it's not enough," Lin Mo continued, "It's still far from the goal. The theoretical value of a Lithium-Sulfur Battery is 2600; 1200 is just a passing grade. What does 420 count for? Just the start."

Zhao Gang took a drag of the cigarette and slowly exhaled.

"Dr. Lin," he said, "Is this your first time doing this?"

Lin Mo nodded.

"You created something 70% better than the best thing on the market on your first try?" Zhao Gang looked at him, "And you call this a failure?"

Lin Mo paused, turning his head to look at him.

Zhao Gang also looked at him; there was no comfort or encouragement in his gaze, only a calm seriousness.

"My first year as a soldier, at the shooting range, I hit 45 points with five bullets," he said, "I was as happy as could be. But then the veteran said, 'The passing line is 47 points, what are you happy about?'"

Lin Mo didn't speak.

"Later, I practiced for three months and finally hit 48 points," Zhao Gang continued, "Then I went to compete, only to find that everyone else was hitting 50."

He looked at Lin Mo, "Dr. Lin, failure is not about not reaching the goal. Failure is stopping and giving up."

Lin Mo stared at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled.

"Captain Zhao," he said, "Are you comforting me?"

Zhao Gang shook his head, "No. I'm just telling you that you are still far from your goal, but you are already on the path."

He stubbed out the cigarette and turned to walk back.

He took a few steps, then stopped, and without turning his head, said, "That 420 is enough to keep many people awake at night. Don't be ungrateful."

Lin Mo stood where he was, watching his back disappear down the forest path.

Then he turned around and continued to look at the distant mountain peaks.

The wind was strong, blowing his clothes with a snapping sound.

But he stood there, motionless.

I don't know how much time passed; he took a deep breath and turned to walk back.

At 7:00 PM, Lin Mo returned to the laboratory.

Li Xiao was still sitting in front of the computer, her eyes fixed on the screen, her eyes a bit red.

Seeing him enter, she stood up, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back.

"What's wrong?" Lin Mo asked.

Li Xiao pointed to the screen, "I... I used the program to search, and found a few relevant documents."

Lin Mo walked over and looked at the screen.

These were several papers on Lithium-Sulfur Battery electrode structural design, all published in the last three months.

One of them, from a research team in Germany, proposed a new type of three-dimensional conductive framework structure that could largely solve the conductivity problem of sulfur.

"This one," Li Xiao pointed to the German paper, "Their energy density reached 780."

Lin Mo stared at the number, his eyes lighting up.

780. Twice as high as the 420 they had achieved.

"Their method," Li Xiao continued, "is different from ours. They use pure carbon materials and didn't use superconductivity. But if we combine their structure with our superconducting framework..."

She didn't finish, but Lin Mo already understood.

"Smart." He turned his head to look at Li Xiao, and a smile finally appeared on his face.

Li Xiao paused, and then her eyes turned red again.

"Teacher Lin," she said in a low voice, "I thought you would scold me..."

Lin Mo smiled, "Why would I scold you?"

"I... I saw you so disappointed and just wanted to do something..." Li Xiao said, head bowed, "I just thought, maybe I could find something useful..."

Lin Mo looked at her, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

"Li Xiao," he said, "You did very well."

Li Xiao raised her head, her eyes sparkling.

"Really?"

"Really." Lin Mo pointed to the paper, "This approach might be the breakthrough."

He sat down and began to read the paper carefully.

Li Xiao stood to the side, the expression on her face changing from nervousness to happiness, and then from happiness to focus.

At 11:00 PM, Lin Mo finally finished reading all the relevant literature.

He stood up, stretched his stiff neck, and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the moonlight was beautiful.

The mountains rose and fell under the moonlight like silent giant beasts.

He remembered what Zhao Gang had said that afternoon— "You are still far from your goal, but you are already on the path."

He remembered what Li Xiao had just done—at his most disappointed moment, she hadn't given up, but instead used her own way to find a new direction.

He thought of Zhang Zhe, Academician, and Su Qing, and remembered their sleepless efforts over the past two weeks.

420 was not a failure.

It was a starting point.

He turned back to the desk, picked up a pen, and began to design a new experimental plan.

Outside the window, the night was deep.

But the light in the laboratory shone like a star.