Electron Flow Laboratory

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Electron Flow Laboratory (电子流实验室)
Alias(es)	National Key Laboratory of Electron Flow 108
Affiliation	Xiake University; initially housed at the Institute for Advanced Research 59
Occupation/Role	Research laboratory for electron flow theory, electron flow batteries, condensed-matter physics, materials, and later additional basic-research fields 68 288
Director	Du Ke 59
Status	Active; remains a National Key Laboratory while relocating departments to Sky City 445
First Appearance	Chapter 59

History

Xiake University established the Electron Flow Laboratory as a University-level Key Laboratory after Du Ke’s electron flow theory gained recognition. Du Ke named it himself and became its director while still a master’s student; its first premises consisted of several empty rooms at the Institute for Advanced Research. Chen Yang assisted with its establishment, while Du Ke and Li Juan arranged its initial furnishings and opening celebration 59.

The laboratory began with limited appeal to established academics. Its recruitment pool contained no professors or associate professors, only one associate researcher—Yan Sitong—alongside graduate and undergraduate applicants 67. Yan became deputy director after negotiating for first authorship on independently completed work, a private laboratory, and statutory holidays 68.

Its earliest research program focused on reproducing and verifying the experimental basis of electron flow theory. Yan led the Derivation Experiment of Room Temperature Electron Shunt Coefficient, while Du Ke assigned additional peripheral projects to new researchers 68. The laboratory’s output soon included papers in Physical Review B and Physical Review Letters, establishing its reputation within condensed-matter physics 71.

Following the publication of Du Ke’s comprehensive electron flow theory paper in Nature, Xiake University moved to upgrade the laboratory to a provincial–ministerial co-construction project 99. It was subsequently elevated to the National Key Laboratory of Electron Flow, receiving an independent building, authority to establish a postdoctoral station, and the ability to award doctoral and master’s degrees 108.

The laboratory later expanded beyond its original theory and battery work. It hosted optics groups, materials research, semiconductor and superconductor studies, and projects such as the Du Ke Crystal Array 137 214 288. Its growth eventually made its Institute for Advanced Research facilities inadequate, leading to relocation to a site adjacent to Xiake University and, later, preparations to move departments into Sky City 302 303 445.

Research

Electron Flow Theory

The laboratory was founded to develop, verify, and extend Du Ke’s electron flow theory, which concerns the mechanical equilibrium and separation of electrons and protons into a specialized condensed-matter state 52 74.

• Conducted experimental projects designed to substantiate the theory’s proposed effects 68.
• Published research in Journal of Chemical Physics, Physical Review B, Physical Review Letters, and Nature 70 71 99.
• Maintained weekly collections of new electron flow theory papers for researchers to study as international competition intensified 162.
• Helped establish “Electron Flow Theory” as a compulsory Xiake University physics course 116 117.

Electron Flow Batteries

Electron flow batteries are the laboratory’s principal applied technology. Their barrier structure stabilizes electron and proton flows, allowing the batteries to charge and discharge as physical rather than chemical batteries 106.

• The laboratory supported development from the handmade Duke Generation One sample to the industrialized Lightning Generation product 60 129.
• It collaborated with Keda Lightning Technology Co., Ltd. on battery development after the laboratory’s national upgrade 108.
• Its battery research was sufficiently sensitive that the electron flow battery became one of the laboratory’s higher-confidentiality areas 181.
• A leak of the Thunder Generation low-energy barrier structure later enabled foreign development of competing electron flow batteries 240.

Materials and Condensed Matter

As the laboratory grew, it broadened into fundamental materials research while remaining centered on condensed matter physics 288.

• Research areas include insulating carbon, superconductors, semiconductors, and the Du Ke Crystal Array 288.
• The team discovered a silicon-gold alloy system containing a superconducting material operating at 250 K under atmospheric pressure; Du Ke ordered the finding classified pending reports to the Ministry of Science and Technology and Xiake Academy of Sciences 234.
• It continued investigating room-temperature superconductivity, though Du Ke was not directly involved in every group’s work 303.
• Du Ke later assigned the laboratory to reduce mercury content in a Mercury Alloy to create a less expensive material 351.

Optics and Other Fields

Du Ke expanded the laboratory into preliminary optics research, establishing optics groups while continuing electron flow work 137. The laboratory also serves as a platform for initiating research inspired by discoveries from the Fantasy World before handing mature projects to specialized personnel 214.

Organization

• Du Ke — Founder and director; directs research priorities, assigns projects, and retains a largely hands-off management style once teams are established 59 122.
• Yan Sitong — Deputy Director; formerly an associate researcher in the Microscale division. He led early electron flow experiments and frequently handled visiting researchers 68 77.
• Tao Xun — Initially declined the deputy directorship due to the awkwardness of working under his former student, but later joined the laboratory as a Deputy Director 60 113.
• Li Juan — Assisted with the laboratory’s initial setup and later served as office director handling matters such as relocation planning 59 302.
• Han Zixuan — Transferred to the Electron Flow Laboratory to handle academic documentation after being unable to access the higher-security Inductance Laboratory 113.
• Deputy Director Wang — Transferred into the laboratory after Du Ke’s intervention 123.

Facilities and Operations

• The original laboratory occupied several rooms at Xiake University’s Institute for Advanced Research 59.
• Initial funding was projected at approximately ten million yuan, with two million yuan deposited as the first available installment 60 69.
• The laboratory later expanded into adjacent rooms and gave Du Ke a private laboratory 106.
• Its own budget could not initially cover many high-end instruments, requiring personnel to borrow equipment from other laboratories and research institutes 77.
• By its National Key Laboratory upgrade, it was granted a separate building for independent office and experimental work 108.
• Its research scale later required relocation because the Institute for Advanced Research had become too cramped for the laboratory and its affiliated companies 302.
• At the time of its Sky City relocation, its old building was being cleared and repainted as departments completed their move 445.

Notable Achievements

Achievement	Chapter	Notes
University-level Key Laboratory established	59	Founded at Xiake University with Du Ke as Director.
First P.R.L.-level laboratory paper	69	Du Ke had listed the Electron Flow Laboratory as his affiliation before the paper’s publication.
Major electron flow theory breakthrough publicized	70	Xiake University described the theory as a world first and highlighted papers in P.R.L., P.R.B., and Journal of Chemical Physics.
Multiple top-tier publications	71	A Yan Sitong-led project produced a P.R.B. paper; Du Ke’s seventh paper became the laboratory’s second P.R.L. paper.
Nature publication	99	The publication transformed outside perceptions of the laboratory and accelerated its institutional upgrade.
National Key Laboratory upgrade	108	Received degree-awarding authority, a postdoctoral station, and an independent building.
Silicon-gold superconductor discovery	234	A material formed in the laboratory displayed superconductivity at 250 K under atmospheric pressure.
Relocation and expansion	303, 445	Moved to a larger area adjacent to Xiake University before beginning relocation into Sky City.

Security Incident

The Electron Flow Laboratory experienced a major espionage case involving the theft of barrier-structure technology. The laboratory was sealed, the suspect was apprehended, and investigators from the Ministry of National Security and central authorities entered the case 181.

The incident exposed the low-energy barrier structure used in the Thunder Generation battery, contributing to the emergence of competing electron flow batteries developed by the Roman Alliance 240.

Trivia

• The laboratory’s original opening was understated, marked by a brief Xiake University website announcement and a small meal after its sign was installed 59 60.
• Its entrance bookshelf displayed copies of the laboratory’s papers for visitors to review 77.
• Although it retained the formal status of a National Key Laboratory, its staffing, funding, and output were later described as comparable to those of a National Laboratory 410 445.