Chapter Fifty-Four: The Old Man of the New Academy

  The addition of a new member to an industrial university may not be big news for a large autonomous region, but the significance it brings is profound.

  Aerospace Engineering College, Telecommunication College, Materials Science and Engineering College, Chemistry Research Institute, four new colleges and more than a dozen new majors started their growth journey in the Industrial University. Like the "old qualifications" colleges of the university such as Mechanical and Electrical College, they had good hardware conditions at the beginning of their establishment, but almost nothing else, with few students and small faculty strength.

  In 1896, Popov successfully transmitted Morse code over radio waves at a distance of 250 meters with the message "Heinrich Hertz". The following year, another young researcher in radio, Marconi, improved the radio transmission and reception equipment and achieved success in radio communication across the Bristol Channel, transmitting information over 12 kilometers. Immediately after that, Marconi established the world's first wireless telegraph company - the British Marconi Company. In 1901, British wireless telegrams could be sent to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. The following year, a transatlantic radio communication circuit was formally opened between Britain and Canada, bringing international telegram communication into a new stage.

  Due to the fact that wireless telecommunication does not require expensive ground communication lines and submarine cables, it quickly gained attention from people. It has played a huge role in various matters, with timely and effective communication being extremely beneficial for any undertaking, and autonomous regions are no exception. Apart from wired fixed-line phones, wireless telegraphy is the main means of communication between the government of an autonomous region and important departments, especially with regards to communication with America and Europe.

  Of course, shortly after the birth of radio, humans wanted to transmit their own voices through radio waves, rather than Morse code. In this regard, Fessenden was the first to make an attempt in the United States. Special high-frequency alternating current radio transmitters and systems that could modulate wave amplitude were also his inventions. After signing a lucrative contract with the Industrial University, he gathered with many others at the university to become teachers, mainly teaching radio science. Before this, they were not teachers but scientists, but after coming here, they would have better conditions for their research work, and teaching students was just to get more "assistants".

  There are also many foreign "teachers" employed in the College of Materials Science and Engineering and the Institute of Chemistry, and in this regard, Germans have a very obvious advantage over their mechanical counterparts. If it weren't for the war that made life difficult in Germany, the autonomous region wouldn't be able to recruit these talents at a "low cost". Of course, among all, the most technically demanding, requiring talent and luck, is the chemical industry, which is the focus of the struggle to establish the Institute of Chemistry and also the purpose of running the school.

  Chemical industry was actually enlightened at that time, it wasn't a major scientific industry, but it quickly became one of the most important industries in social production.

  Its formation is a by-product of providing essential basic substances to other industrial sectors, and it has also been a strong helper for the development of industries in various periods. Since human beings entered the era of industrial civilization, productivity has increased greatly, and large-scale social production was born. In order to meet the raw material needs of industrial production, a series of modern chemical industries can be said to have been born one after another.

  Soda ash, sulfuric acid and other basic chemical raw materials production plants began to appear in large numbers, solving the need for acids and alkalis in industries such as textiles, glass and soap. With the rise of iron smelting and coking industries, organic chemicals based on coal tar separation of aromatic hydrocarbons and acetylene production from calcium carbide began to develop. Synthetic dyes, chemical synthesis drugs, synthetic fragrances and other products were successively introduced, and rubber tires, nitrocellulose and other products were also put into production.

  It can be seen that the early chemical industry provided essential raw materials and auxiliary products for major industries such as textile, transportation, electric power, and machinery manufacturing. The rise of Guangxi's industry also led to the emergence of a large number of affiliated industries, such as sulfuric acid plants, coking plants, and other auxiliary chemical industries, which in turn enabled the existence and development of secondary industries like glass manufacturing and garment textiles. Of course, these enterprises and factories were also built out of necessity, otherwise, how could it be possible to manufacture cars with a wide range of industries within the autonomous region?

  Of course, among American teachers like Fessenden, there are also people who have made achievements. The inventor of plastic, Baekeland, is one of them. Zhang Yu's evaluation of him is "This old man has a bad memory and often misses very important reactions". Since using phenol and formaldehyde for research experiments, Baekeland discovered the reaction that produces plastic, but he didn't think about whether to add more types of fillers to get better materials.

  Baekeland was originally a well-known American chemist, who discovered plastic and realized that this tough and well-insulated plastic would definitely make a lot of money. Soon after, he founded a plastics factory in the United States and achieved an annual production scale of around 1,000 tons. However, unexpectedly, no one liked this improperly processed, slightly smelly thing. If it weren't for the appearance of someone with ulterior motives, who allowed his patent to be widely disseminated, Baekeland might still not understand the importance of plastic to this world.

  Of course, after receiving a substantial patent transfer fee and having the plastics factory processed, he came to the Chemical Research Institute with peace of mind to engage in research work that was more suitable for him. Being a teacher was just an auxiliary profession, what interested him most were those polymers, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, etc., there were things that needed his study.

  "It turns out that polyoxymethylene has a very good position in actual application, if you can study out polyimide, it would be even better."

  In a laboratory of the Chemical Research Institute at Industrial University, Zhang Yu, who is very interested in this aspect, naturally wears a white lab coat and comes to visit Bechler every week like an ordinary student. The industry in the autonomous region needs chemical products as support, for example, phenolic plastic has great advantages in the application of mechanical parts, insulating parts, and corrosion-resistant parts, and can also be used to manufacture various structural parts and electrical insulating parts. After mass production, the price is quite low, but it's toxic, which is not very likable, and only comes in black and brown colors, which makes people feel uncomfortable.

  "Has amino plastic been verified by application?"

  Beckland, who was focused on his experiment, didn't like being disturbed at this time, but Zhang Yu was an exception. Whenever he got stuck in the experimental blind alley or hit a dead end, Zhang Yu would always casually say something that would unexpectedly bring Beckland joy. Although each time it was just a casual remark, it led to the birth of many new materials, followed by a large number of application experiments, until mass production and use.

  "Yes, the performance of amino plastics is very good. The insulation and arc resistance are better than phenolic plastics, and the hardness is high, and it's also wear-resistant, oil-resistant and solvent-resistant... In short, it feels like it's more useful, most importantly, it's non-toxic and has good colorability, making decorative parts with it can create products with richer colors, indirectly increasing the product's added value. Which is unlike amino plastics, toxic and smelly!" After finishing speaking, Zhang Yu leaned forward, carefully watching Beckett slowly pour a solution from a test tube into a flask.

  The chemical industry is different from the mechanical one, with a great deal of contingency in chemistry. A chance combination of two liquids may give birth to something new, whereas this is not the case with mechanics, which is an empirical science. Without a large theoretical foundation and manufacturing experience, even the best design ideas cannot be transformed into physical objects that increase human productivity.

  "I think I should have the opportunity to let you take me to see the rubber laboratory, I've heard that their research work is very effective and has given birth to all sorts of new products. Would it be possible? Can Mr. Zhang find an opportunity for us to go together?" Beikelan shook the test tube evenly, smiling at Zhang Yu.

  The laboratory referred to by Baekeland has not yet been incorporated into the Chemical Institute, and this educational research college is not suitable for his joining. At present, all rubber used by humans is still natural, and various additives such as vulcanization agents, softeners, fillers, etc. are added to the rubber for industrial application, and corresponding products are obtained after vulcanization.

  It can be said that the rubber industry occupies a certain important position in a country's industrial system, just like the application of plastics is widespread. Originally belonging to the Asia-Pacific Group Chemical Research Group, it was later transferred to the High-tech Development Zone and established as a joint laboratory, the Rubber Laboratory is one of the most important sources of the autonomous region's chemical industry, without which there would be no radial tires, and without which there would be no various pipes.

  Beckland naturally knew the great role of rubber, without highly insulated and shock-proof natural NR, there would be no tires; Without the production of butyl, there would also be no inner tubes for tires. Moreover, the rubber laboratory has been advancing towards special rubber all along, like polyurethane UR, which has already shown its effectiveness and proven that it can also play a big role in wear-resistant parts with its high strength and wear resistance. The ternary ethylene propylene is both insulated and waterproof, and has taken a share of the automotive parts and insulation components market. All these new discoveries and applications made Beckland curious, he had to go and see what was behind the laboratory's high productivity.

  "Take a look, it's possible, but you have to get the polyamide out as soon as possible. How can we hold up with just polycarbonate?" The foul smell wafted over, and Zhang Yu had no choice but to quickly cover his mouth with his mask, and his subsequent words became muffled and unclear.

  The two substances mentioned by Zhang Yu have great application prospects in industry. Polyimide is the most heat-resistant among all plastics, with excellent comprehensive performance, high strength and resistance to deformation, as well as good insulation and friction reduction properties, making it suitable for high-temperature self-lubricating materials and precision parts under high-temperature conditions. These properties are due to its superiority over polycarbonate, which is why Zhang Yu attaches great importance to it. If it could be used like general-purpose acrylic or polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) to manufacture transparent parts, such as reflectors, car windshields, and especially if it had the same durability and texture as polyformaldehyde, Zhang Yu would definitely go crazy for it. However, perhaps it's just that the higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment, this thing is just not easy to handle.

  "Light is what I invented, you take the result? Mr. Zhang, why don't you come and try it?"

  Beckland's favorite thing was to touch Zhang Yu's nerve endings. He knew that Zhang Yu didn't like him stirring up these guys, and every time he pretended not to understand, but in the end, it was always his nonsense that could solve the big trouble. Beckland knew that the person in front of him had a few brushes, but he just couldn't persuade him to take action and show off.

  "That's all right, Professor Becker, you're far more experienced than I am, how dare I show off in front of you? If you have plenty of time to spare, why not study the additives and so on, our fillers, plasticizers and hardeners are obviously not enough. Zhang Yu said this and was about to slip away, but before taking off his white coat, he still had to say a few more words. "Professor Becker, if you can consider adding hexamethylene tetramine to the phenolic resin, you will definitely get unimaginable results! Believe me, buddy!"

  "Is it like adding diamine to epoxy resin? Can we get a more stable and harder plastic? You said that last time, I've already done it. Your nonsense is outdated, can't you come up with something new for us to play with?" Baekland stared at Zhang Yu with piercing eyes, but his hands didn't stop shaking the test tube, clearly knowing that Zhang Yu had some unspoken secrets, such as spouting nonsense again and making him think deeply, forgetting to get to the bottom of it.

  "Alright, I give up." Zhang Yu took the test tube from Beckett's hand and put it into a fixture, patting his shoulder as he said: "I'll take you to the rubber lab right away and show you what efficiency means. But from now on, don't ask me why I know this or that, it's a secret that can't be told. Got it? Buddy!"

  Zhang Yu liked this humorous and taciturn old man very much. He possessed all the excellent qualities of a scientist, that is, he was only interested in science, and nothing else mattered, including family, marriage, and even appetite. Edison's treating his pocket watch as an egg to boil is an example, and Becquerel needing a nanny to take care of him was also because he didn't pay attention to life and only cared about science, what he wanted to know was just science.

  As soon as Zhang Yu got out of the Becker Lab, he personally opened the car door for this rare sun-tanned and gate-out scientist, and after he sat down, Zhang Yu quickly got into the car and greeted the driver to start the car. As soon as he sat down, Becker suddenly became talkative.

  "Car tires, windshield glass, even the steering wheel, these are all masterpieces of chemistry. Mr. Zhang, I really want to know if the comfortable back seat we're sitting on also has chemical achievements in it?" As he spoke, Beikeland shook his body left and right like a child, and the soft, flexible and elastic seat made him feel extremely comfortable.

  "This thing is no longer a child of the chemical industry, soft cushions and whatnot are products of the textile industry. Everything has been occupied by the chemical industry, can people in other industries still survive? Fasten your seatbelt, old buddy, the traffic in Liuzhou City is busy and congested, if there's sudden braking it'll be disastrous..."

  As he spoke, Zhang Yu carefully fastened the seatbelt for the strange old man. The autonomous region couldn't afford to lose such a rare treasure who had been brought to China. Zhang Yu was still expecting him to preside over the development of something like bulletproof glass, and he couldn't let him get hurt in the slightest. Of course, Zhang Yu didn't think that later on, there would be even more treasures that needed this kind of special care, especially many Jewish scientists, each one a precious figure, whose contributions were indispensable to the rise of the autonomous region and all of China.

  "Drive to the rubber lab. And slow down a bit... The old man can't take too much excitement, especially since he's the main teacher of this new academy. Zhang Yu must be careful and cautious with such talent."

  In 1888, British veterinarian John Boyd Dunlop invented the first practical pneumatic or inflatable tyre in response to a problem shared by his son.

  In 1903, the American Good Year company obtained a patent for tires without inner tubes. Soon after, another American invented a machine that could imprint patterns on tires, which greatly increased the traction of patterned tires and improved driving efficiency. Before the Volkswagen Beetle was officially sold to the public, the tire factory, based on Phillips' father's idea, Strauss, made great efforts to create real inflatable tires.

  The pneumatic tire, composed of an outer cover of rubberized fabric and an inner inflatable tube of rubber, was finally born, although it had been anticipated for 1911. They also added carbon black to the rubber ahead of time, greatly increasing the durability of the tires. This technology should have come from American Goodrich in 1912, but all this happened earlier. The excellent performance of the tire combined with the decent Beetle car defeated Ford's T-type car monopoly in the market.

  So behind the accidental success, there are actually many people making silent contributions. Of course, what was originally a purely tire factory for Volkswagen has developed into a large-scale rubber chemical enterprise after moving to southwest China, and its exclusive rubber laboratory has also launched various tires with more practical value, such as multi-pattern tires, low-pressure tires, large mining trucks Special tires, meridian tires, etc.

  Beckland, who witnessed the Ford car's heyday but was quickly defeated by the emerging Asian power. The reason may be that he was too busy with work to think clearly, but today he can finally visit a small laboratory among the many components of this giant Asian entity, but he cannot understand an ancient Chinese proverb.

  "It's not my family, their hearts must be different", the blood flowing through his body is not that of the Chinese nation, Phillips, who made great contributions at first, did not receive this honor, but instead reminded Zhang Yu and others to pay attention to coordinated development. He only received a certain reward but had no qualifications to come to China, let alone now Bechler wants to see the secrets of the automotive industry, how easy is that? Even if he was an old man from a new college, it's not possible...

  PS: This weekend, send it over early and then sleep and rest, I'm too tired.