Coating

As far as he knew, this type of silicon material was developed by a factory that produced non-stick pans, intended for use as a coating.

At the time, the common non-stick coatings on the market were not much different from those today, primarily consisting of Teflon, ceramic, and organosilicon coatings.

The most familiar and common non-stick coating is Teflon.

To be precise, Teflon is merely a brand of coating developed by DuPont, while the actual substance used for non-stick surfaces is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

Because DuPont was the first to use the Teflon trademark for non-stick coatings, it has become the generic term for traditional non-stick coatings.

It is similar to the Heixuanfeng insecticide in the Lingnan region; when people say "Heixuanfeng," it is synonymous with spray insecticide.

The three mainstream non-stick coatings on the market each have their own advantages and disadvantages, and Teflon, in particular, which has yet to replace its processing aids, does indeed pose safety risks.

This is because the processing aid for Teflon—perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)—has been linked to certain diseases in relevant studies.

DuPont ceased production of Teflon containing PFOA in 2012 and adopted a brand-new manufacturing process for its Teflon coatings.

However, it is intriguing that Canada in 2007, the USA in 2015, and the European Union in 2017 completely banned the production and sale of Teflon.

Therefore, in daily life, it is best to avoid using Teflon non-stick pans if possible; after all, domestic dietary habits involve high-temperature cooking, which may cause Teflon coatings to release harmful substances under high heat.

Consequently, a domestic non-stick pan manufacturer began working on developing a brand-new type of non-stick coating in 2023.

Dinner was finished.

Huang Xiuyuan and Lu Xuedong went together to the Suiren Third Research Group to examine that brand-new silicon molecular structure, and as expected, it was indeed one of the materials from his memories.

The reason he said "one of" is that the Silicon-9 molecule actually possesses three isomers, and these three isomers share one common feature: they all contain a hexagonal silicon structure.

They are: Orthosilicon-9, Isosilicon-9, and Sidesilicon-9.

He offered some encouragement to the 10 researchers in the Third Group, urging them to keep up the good work and delve deeper into the properties of the Silicon-9 molecule.

Although he knew the difference between the three types of Silicon-9, the one that was truly useful was the Orthosilicon-9 molecule, as this molecule could form a silicon nano-coating.

But since the Third Group had already made a start, he would let them continue the in-depth research.

Sure enough, over the following period, the Third Group discovered the three isomers of the Silicon-9 molecule during their research, as well as their synthesis processes.

When Huang Xiuyuan and Lu Xuedong visited the Third Group again, they discovered some uses for Orthosilicon-9. The group leader, Li Ying, reported excitedly:

"Mr. Huang, Mr. Lu, Orthosilicon-9 molecules can be applied via electroplating to form a dense silicon nano-film on metal surfaces. This film has extremely strong adhesion and excellent strength."

Lu Xuedong looked at the detailed report and noticed some of the data: "Not only is the strength very high, but it has a melting point of 957 degrees Celsius, is chemically stable, barely reacts with common substances, and the surface of the nano-coating has an extremely low coefficient of friction."

On a workbench to the side, a dozen items of various sizes were displayed, including iron sheets, aluminum sheets, stainless steel spoons, iron pots, aluminum pots, iron pipes, and copper wires.

These items were all covered in a layer of translucent crystals. Huang Xiuyuan picked up a piece of copper wire—which appeared to have been stripped from an electrical cable—and began to bend it with force.

After some effort, he finally bent the copper wire, but the nano-coating at the bend did not crack; instead, it maintained a smooth surface.

Li Ying picked up a hairdryer from the side and heated the bent copper wire. After being slightly heated and then submerged in cold water, the copper wire actually returned to its previous straight state.

Clearly, the Orthosilicon-9 nano-coating possessed certain shape-memory material properties.

As for physical damage from machinery, even high-hardness alloy drill bits required significant force to damage the coating.

In daily cooking, it would be almost impossible to damage the coating through the violent friction of a metal spatula, even with human strength.

Unless one used a chisel and a hammer to violently gouge the coating, but few people would do that intentionally in daily life.

It seemed this material could create a nearly perfect coating, though Huang Xiuyuan knew that this nano-coating had one drawback: the issue of lifespan.

In this regard, Li Ying's group had not yet discovered it.

The lifespan of the Orthosilicon-9 nano-coating is determined by the properties of the Orthosilicon-9 molecule; this molecule can typically last for 80 to 90 years under normal temperature and pressure before gradually decomposing into monocrystalline silicon and polycrystalline silicon.

However, if used as cookware that is frequently heated, the lifespan decreases significantly. If used for three meals a day, it can last for about 9 years at most.

Based on typical household usage, a non-stick pan with a silicon nano-coating can usually last between 12 and 15 years.

Compared to Teflon, ceramic, and organosilicon coatings, the lifespan has already been extended significantly, and within its service life, it is unlikely to peel or scratch.

Even when the silicon nano-coating enters the decomposition stage, it does not produce harmful substances, as the decomposition products are merely monocrystalline silicon and polycrystalline silicon.

Huang Xiuyuan wrote an approval note for the Third Group and handed it over: "Li Ying, I see great potential in this material. Continue researching the lifespan of the silicon nano-coating; you can consider applying it to non-stick pans and water pipes in the future."

Upon receiving the note, Li Ying became even more excited. With the chairman's affirmation, their group could now consider the commercialization of the technology.

In the note, Huang Xiuyuan offered some suggestions, such as applying it to water pipes; the coating could isolate the pipes from the air, reducing the oxidation of iron pipes. Furthermore, if the coating were applied inside the pipes, it could prevent the pipes themselves from generating impurities that contaminate tap water.

Water pipes buried underground have a very stable temperature, and when combined with the silicon nano-coating, it would be like adding wings to a tiger, allowing the coating to reach its limit of 80 to 90 years.

If a multi-layer coating is used, even if the silicon nano-coating decomposes, it would form a relatively thick layer of polycrystalline silicon on the pipe surface, further extending the pipe's lifespan.

Therefore, iron pipes using multi-layer silicon nano-coatings would have no issues being used underground.

This would be a significant boost to Suiren Company's water utility contracting strategy, especially since, thanks to their pure water permeation membrane technology, the tap water supplied by Suiren Company's water plants is effectively pure water.

Combined with silicon nano-coated pipes, it could basically guarantee that tap water is safe for direct consumption, providing the public with cleaner water.

He asked Lu Xuedong to pay more attention to the Third Group's situation, and then spoke with Jiang Hailin, telling him to discuss with Lin Baijie the acquisition of a cookware manufacturing plant and an iron pipe manufacturing plant to prepare for the upcoming commercialization of the technology.

Just then, Shandong Province, the heart of heavy industry in Northern China, sent an inspection delegation that arrived in the city of Shanmei.

Even Huang Xiuyuan, who usually didn't pay much attention to such things, took notice of an inspection delegation of this level and asked Jiang Hailin to host them personally.

This delegation consisted of over fifty people, and their first stop was naturally the Guizhuling Industrial Park.

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