micronova.
To be precise, it's within a materials science lab owned by Micronova.
Lin Lixin and Vivian, wearing goggles, followed the project leader to the laboratory.
The person in charge pulled out several printed report documents and handed them to Lin Lixin.
"As you know, the lithium dendrite problem remains a major challenge."
In several photos, the negative electrode surface, magnified countless times, is covered with dense, uneven deposits.
In some places, it is even covered with tiny needle-like structures.
Lin Lixin sighed.
This thing... is actually the largest and most difficult problem to solve in lithium batteries.
Lithium dendrites.
Due to the structure of lithium batteries, these needle-like structures can cause a serious short circuit if they puncture the separator between the positive and negative electrodes.
As for the outcome... the person in charge found several VHS videotapes and put them into the player.
The image shows several lithium battery packs used for testing.
It just sat there quietly, with nothing else on the entire site.
But in this environment that should have been calm and peaceful, something unexpected suddenly happened.
"Laugh..."
"Call--"
Two of the batteries swelled up as if they had been hit hard by something, forming large bulges.
It then spewed out sparks and smoke wildly, bursting into flames almost instantly.
"Tsk."
Lin Lixin clicked his tongue, looking rather helpless.
This is the fundamental reason why he hasn't made a big push for lithium batteries yet.
Nickel-metal hydride batteries are indeed expensive, difficult to use, and have the nasty memory effect. But at least they won't blow up all their users.
The problem of lithium battery explosions remains a major issue even today, and there is still no very good solution.
Regardless of the type of improvement technology used, it can only be considered an "optimization," not a "solution."
To put it bluntly, it's just treating the symptoms, not the root cause.
In particular, this aspect cannot be compensated for by attribute values alone.
Materials science is like playing the lottery; you never know which cloud will bring rain.
No matter how high or strong its properties are, at most you can improve the process and structure; selecting suitable materials still requires step-by-step experimentation.
Fortunately, Lin Lixin still had those future successful experiences in his mind, so he didn't really have to start from scratch.
"How's the graphite anode I mentioned before doing?"
This is where the real gap between the United States and Japan lies.
America cling to their strategy of "bigger is better, more is better," relentlessly pursuing the ultimate energy density.
Everyone knows that nickel-chromium and nickel-metal hydride have reached their limits. Everyone knows that lithium is the better choice from any perspective.
But the old American approach uses lithium metal anodes.
Calculations show that lithium metal anodes can easily achieve several times the energy density of nickel-metal hydride anodes, a level of complete technological superiority.
The idea is great, but here's the problem.
Lithium dendrites!
An obstacle that cannot be avoided no matter what.
After dozens of charge-discharge cycles, a large-scale short circuit and explosion occurred.
Even just last year, Moli Energy in Canada was ruined by this very issue.
In 1989, a large-scale fire occurred involving lithium batteries manufactured by the Canada company Moli Energy.
Even with a massive product recall, everyone knows that Moli Energy is finished.
It was precisely because of this incident that North America became skeptical of lithium battery investment, leading to a significant outflow of hot money.
At this critical juncture, the entry of a cash cow like Gamenova to take over was nothing short of a powerful shot in the arm for these poor research institutes. And the first thing Lin Lixin did after taking over was to order a halt to research on the lithium metal route.
Instead, they turned to the engineering-oriented thinking currently advocated by Japan.
To put it bluntly, it's all about pragmatism.
While lithium metal is strong, it is extremely unreliable.
It would be better to settle for second best and choose materials that, while less advanced, are safer and more reliable, and have the potential for commercial production in the short term.
The US and Japan have repeatedly fallen into the same trap in their rivalry.
Looking back at the semiconductor and consumer electronics sectors, this is almost always the case.
Americans master key core theories and are always at the forefront of theoretical research.
But when it comes to the actual implementation of the industrial chain, Japan always ends up Japan the benefits.
Frankly speaking, in this day and age, Japan is undoubtedly in the top tier of consumer electronics.
"Graphite anode... Yes, Mr. Lin. We've done some tests."
The person in charge nodded, "That's pretty much what you said. Graphite anodes are indeed much more stable and won't explode, but..."
"How?"
Electrolyte.
The person in charge hesitated for a moment before explaining,
"Graphite's structure is damaged by the electrolyte, making it impossible to reuse."
Indeed, replacing it with graphite prevents explosions, but the issue of reuse remains unresolved.
Despite its impressive paper data, this peeling problem alone was enough to relegate it to the scrap heap.
"Hmm..."
Lin Lixin frowned and pondered.
"I understand, I'll handle this."
Batteries are complex engineering products, involving far too many industries and technologies.
Even a company as powerful as Gamenova couldn't possibly control everything from scratch. That's why Lin Lixin's goal was clear from the very beginning.
We don't do the entire industry chain; we only do the core parts and the final integration.
Just like Gamenova's own LCD screen.
That night, Lin Lixin stayed up all night, making up for all the classes he had skipped over the years.
At the same time, he also understood why materials science is such a bottomless pit.
By the end of the night, he had barely scratched the surface of the vast amount of literature he had studied.
However... he really doesn't need to read all of them.
The next day.
Sam set off to visit Delaware with several different documents in hand.
To be precise, it's DuPont, headquartered in Delaware.
However, this is only the first leg of the journey. 3M, Dow, Alcoa... and Lin Lixin's old friends Lam Research and Corning.
The United States seems to have never lacked the ability to commercialize products before Sony.
What's missing here is a powerful newcomer who can connect all the companies and is willing to invest heavily in this seemingly bottomless pit.
As for Lin Lixin's side...
He took some time to visit the DoD Department of Defense and casually secured a cooperation contract with Darpa.
The order volume is not large, and the subsidies are not much either.
But it provided Gamenova with a solid support system.
At least from the perspective of the Department of Department of Energy and patent protection, theoretically he doesn't need to worry about anything in the short term.
So...
What should we do with these batteries?
Honestly, even from a theoretical standpoint, there should be absolutely no problem with this batch of batteries.
At least even if there are problems, it won't be a major issue like an explosion or fire. But Lin Lixin still doesn't plan to directly implement it in the next generation of handheld consoles.
Even if it doesn't reach the level of widespread adoption like NP, if we conservatively estimate that there are ten million units, and even 1% of them experience problems, he still can't afford it.
Just to be on the safe side, it's best to test it with some peripherals first.
"Clatter"
A freshly brewed cup of coffee landed on the table in front of Lin Lixin.
The midday sun shone through it, making the amber-colored iced Americano glisten with an oily sheen—it was beautiful.
"Here you go. You haven't had a proper rest these past few days, have you?"
Vivian leaned against the table, holding a glass of her own.
Although Lin Lixin often stayed up all night to tackle key problems, I was still somewhat worried whenever I encountered her.
Thanks.
Lin Lixin smiled, picked up the cup, and took a big gulp.
Staying up all night, chugging cold drinks, consuming caffeine—anyone else couldn't handle this kind of lifestyle. "Phew—"
Lin Lixin let out a long breath, tidied up the documents in front of him and stapled them together, then stood up and faced Vivian beside him.
W-what are you doing?
Vivian suddenly sensed something was off about Lin Lixin's gaze and leaned back slightly, wary.
However, Lin Lixin seemed completely oblivious and took another step forward.
The distance between the two instantly became dangerously close.
Even Vivian could feel the warm air exhaled by Lin Lixin.
In an instant, she felt her body temperature rising rapidly, a blush creeping from her neck to the top of her head, and goosebumps covering her arms.
"Thump, thump, thump"
My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.
As if sensing something, Lin Lixin suddenly raised a hand and placed it on her chest.
If there were a heart rate monitor here, her reading would definitely be off the charts. "Hmm..."
Lin Lixin pondered, his entire body almost pressing down on him.
After a long while, just as Vivian was about to faint, he suddenly withdrew his hand and took a step back.
"That's pretty much the feeling. How do you feel?"
"Huh? What, what's wrong?"
Vivian felt like she was going crazy. What was all this nonsense?
Has... has I been transferred??
"Heartbeats, how about making a game based on that concept? I have an idea that could use batteries."
Vivian's pupils dilated, and her chest heaved with heavy breathing.
Was my explanation unclear?
Lin Lixin scratched his head, flipped through the newly bound stack of documents, and found a page of his hand-drawn draft. It was something shaped like a handle, but thicker.
"Look, now that we have lithium battery technology, theoretically... isn't it possible to create a truly wireless controller?"
"Signal transmission is achieved via digital RF, and it's powered by a lithium battery, making it both lightweight and offering sufficient battery life."
"At the same time, its shipment volume is within a controllable range, so if any problems do arise, we can handle them promptly."
"Then..."
Lin Lixin reached out and tapped his chest.
"What if we designed an optional vibration pack for it?"
"Use vibrations to simulate various scenes such as heartbeats, explosions, and being shot."
He flipped through a few pages of the document and stopped at a cover page that only had a title.
"When I was on a business trip to Japan a while ago, I chatted with Takami Akai from Gainax, and she gave me a great idea."
Tokimeki Memorial