Coatings

As far as he knew, this silicon material had been developed by a factory that made nonstick pans, for use as a nonstick coating.

The nonstick coatings commonly found on the market back then were much the same as those available today. The main types were Teflon, ceramic, and silicone coatings.

The most familiar and common nonstick coating was Teflon.

Strictly speaking, Teflon was just a brand of coating developed by DuPont. It was the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) in it that served as the nonstick coating.

Because DuPont had been the first to use the Teflon trademark for nonstick coatings, the name had become a generic term for traditional nonstick coatings.

It was like Heixuanfeng insecticide in Lingnan. People usually used "Heixuanfeng" to mean insecticide spray in general.

Each of the three main types of nonstick coatings on the market had its own advantages and disadvantages. Teflon coatings that hadn't yet switched to a different processing aid did pose safety risks.

That was because Teflon's processing aid, perfluorooctanoic acid, had indeed been linked to certain diseases in relevant studies.

In 2012, DuPont had stopped producing Teflon containing perfluorooctanoic acid and adopted an entirely new process for its Teflon coatings.

What was curious was that Canada had banned the production and sale of Teflon altogether in 2007, the USA in 2015, and the European Union in 2017.

So, if possible, it was best to avoid using Teflon pans in everyday life. After all, people in China were accustomed to high-temperature cooking, which might cause Teflon coatings to produce harmful substances when heated.

That was why a domestic nonstick cookware manufacturer had begun working in 2023 to develop an entirely new nonstick coating.

After dinner,

Huang Xiuyuan and Lu Xuedong went together to the Suiren Third Research Group. After examining the new silicon molecular structure, they found that, just as expected, it was one of the materials he remembered.

Why did he say "one of" them? Because Silicon-9 actually had three isomers. They all shared one feature: each had a six-membered silicon ring.

They were Orthosilicon-9, Isosilicon-9, and Sidesilicon-9.

After encouraging the ten researchers in the Third Research Group to keep up the good work, he urged them to continue studying the properties of Silicon-9 molecules in depth.

Although he knew the differences among the three forms of Silicon-9, the one that was truly useful was Orthosilicon-9, which could form a silicon nanocoating.

But since the Third Research Group had already gotten started, he would let them continue the research.

Sure enough, over the following period, the Third Research Group gradually discovered the three isomers of Silicon-9 and the processes for synthesizing them.

When Huang Xiuyuan and Lu Xuedong visited the Third Research Group again, they found that the researchers had identified several uses for Orthosilicon-9. Li Ying, the group leader, reported excitedly:

"President Huang, President Lu, Orthosilicon-9 molecules can be electroplated onto metal surfaces to form a dense silicon nanofilm. It adheres extremely well and is very strong, too."

Lu Xuedong studied the detailed report and pointed out some of the data. "It's not just exceptionally strong. Its melting point is 957 degrees Celsius, it's chemically stable and barely reacts with ordinary substances, and the nanocoating's surface has an extremely low coefficient of friction."

On a workbench nearby sat more than a dozen objects of various sizes: iron sheets, aluminum sheets, stainless steel spoons, iron pans, aluminum pans, iron pipes, copper wire, and other items.

They were all covered with a translucent crystalline layer. Huang Xiuyuan picked up a piece of copper wire, apparently stripped from an electrical cable, and began bending it with steady pressure.

At last, he managed to bend it. But the nanocoating at the bend hadn't cracked; its surface remained smooth.

Li Ying picked up a hair dryer from beside her and heated the bent wire. After it had warmed slightly, they immersed it in cold water—and it returned to its original straight shape.

Clearly, the Orthosilicon-9 nanocoating had some shape-memory properties.

Even when subjected to mechanical damage, the coating could only be broken with considerable force, even using a high-hardness alloy drill bit.

In everyday cooking, it would be almost impossible for someone to damage the coating by repeatedly scraping it with a metal spatula, no matter how forcefully.

The only way would be to use a chisel and hammer to break through the coating—but few people would deliberately do that in daily life.

At first glance, this material seemed capable of producing the perfect coating. But Huang Xiuyuan knew the nanocoating had one drawback: its lifespan.

Li Ying's group hadn't discovered that yet.

The lifespan of the Orthosilicon-9 nanocoating depended on the properties of the molecules. Under normal temperature and pressure, they could usually remain stable for 80 to 90 years before gradually decomposing into monocrystalline silicon and polycrystalline silicon.

But if used on cookware that was heated frequently, its lifespan would be greatly reduced. With three meals a day, it could last for about nine years at most.

Under typical household conditions, a nonstick pan with a silicon nanocoating could usually last between twelve and fifteen years.

That was far longer than Teflon, ceramic, or silicone coatings. What's more, during its service life, the coating would hardly peel or scratch.

Even when the silicon nanocoating began to decompose, it wouldn't produce harmful substances. After all, its decomposition products were monocrystalline silicon and polycrystalline silicon.

Huang Xiuyuan wrote an approval slip for the Third Research Group and handed it over. "Li Ying, I think this material has great potential. Keep studying the lifespan of the silicon nanocoating. Later on, you can consider using it on nonstick pans and water pipes."

Li Ying was even more excited as she took the slip. With the chairman's approval, their group could start considering how to commercialize the technology.

On the slip, Huang Xiuyuan had made several suggestions. For instance, coating water pipes could keep out air and reduce oxidation in iron pipes. Applying the coating inside the pipes would also prevent impurities from the pipes themselves from contaminating the tap water.

Underground water pipes stayed at a very stable temperature. Paired with the silicon nanocoating, they would be a perfect match, and the coating could last up to its maximum lifespan of 80 to 90 years.

If multiple layers of coating were applied, then even after the silicon nanocoating decomposed, a relatively thick layer of polycrystalline silicon would form on the pipe's surface, further extending its lifespan.

Therefore, iron pipes coated with multiple layers of silicon nanocoating would be perfectly suitable for underground use.

This would be a major boost to Suiren Company's water utilities contracting strategy. In particular, thanks to its water purification membrane technology, the tap water supplied by Suiren Company's water plants was already pure water.

With the addition of silicon-nanocoated pipes, the company could essentially guarantee that tap water was safe to drink directly, providing the public with cleaner water.

After telling Lu Xuedong to keep a closer eye on the Third Research Group, Huang Xiuyuan spoke with Jiang Hailin and asked him to discuss with Lin Baijie the purchase of a cookware factory and an iron pipe factory to support the upcoming commercialization of the technology.

Just then, Shandong Province, the industrial heartland of North China, sent an inspection delegation to Shanmei's urban district.

Even Huang Xiuyuan, who usually paid little attention to such things, took notice of a delegation at this level. He asked Jiang Hailin to receive them in person.

The delegation had more than fifty members, and their first stop was naturally Guizhuling Industrial Park.