Chapter 269: Division of Labor

Lu Zhou developed a big framework for the entire research project.

This framework contained the problems to be considered in solving this conjecture, and the most crucial problem of all was on how to expand the Group Structure Method on this problem.

After all, this was Lu Zhou’s most powerful weapon.

After that, Lu Zhou began delegating work to his students.

Hardy’s thinking was more active, so he was responsible for collecting research documents and presenting ideas.

Qin Yue was good at calculations, so he should be a good partner.

As for Vera, her style was similar to Lu Zhou. She was good at independent thinking. Forcing a person like her into a group discussion would actually affect her normal performance. This was why Lu Zhou chose to work independently when Deligne asked if he wanted to join his research project.

After some consideration, Lu Zhou decided to put her into Group B and to work on a parallel level with Hardy and Qin Yue, who were in Group A.

The groups would work independently and each of them would research on different issues involved in the proposition. Then, an exchange of ideas meeting would go on every two weeks, and a report presentation of the progress will go on every month.

This type of model was common on some large research teams. Some nutty boss would often take on many students, but putting those students into one giant group would actually decrease the efficiency of the research team.

Lu Zhou learned this from the other professors at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

While Lu Zhou was assigning everyone their tasks, he heard a knocking sound from his office door.

Lu Zhou was about to open the door but Hardy stood up and walked over to the door.

The door opened, Professor Chirik stood outside.

Professor Chirik walked in with a Brazilian guy next to him. He then talked to Lu Zhou with an excited tone.

“That thesis was yours?! The one on Nature? No I mean, ‘Lu Zhou’, that’s you?”

He was too excited, so his sentences were a little incoherent. He even pronounced Lu Zhou incorrectly.

Lu Zhou was scared that this guy was going to hug him, so he took a step back and said, “Yeah, why?”

Is there another Professor Lu Zhou at Princeton?

Professor Chirik did not hug him, but he took a deep breath and calmed down.

Then, he spoke with disbelief.

“God… You’re an absolute genius!”

This flattery caught Lu Zhou off guard.

Lu Zhou smiled embarrassedly as he said, “I’m not god…”

Professor Chirik, who was out of breath, nearly choked on Lu Zhou’s words.

He said, “It’s just a figure of speech, I’m not really saying you are god… Anyway, how did you do it? Analytically calculate the materials? Estimate a range?”

What surprised Professor Chirik was not how the modified PDMS produced such a magical effect, but how Professor Lu Zhou was the one to discover this material.

Although computational materials science had made significant progress as a field, major research results were unheard of. The mainstream practice was to repeatedly do experiments, then analyze the material, then do more experiments.

It was not just Chirik. Many people were curious about how Lu Zhou discovered this product.

Lu Zhou knew exactly what he was curious about, so he was not surprised.

In fact, he did learn some useful techniques when making mathematical models.

However, his material was discovered with a scanner gun…

Lu Zhou thought for a second before he said, “I can’t explain it to you easily, plus I’m arranging tasks for my students. MRS has already sent me an invitation letter, asking me to report on this issue. If you’re interested, come to my report.”

“MRS? Rest assured, I won’t miss it! Honestly, if I wasn’t so busy these days, I’d come and study under you,” said Professor Chirik said with a half-joking tone.

Lu Zhou obviously did not take this seriously. Instead, he smiled and said, “If you’re interested in number theory, I don’t mind accepting a professor as a PhD student, but I haven’t planned the materials science course yet. Honestly, I don’t know how to appropriately develop this course.”

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“In any case, Princeton ‘birthed’ another billionaire,” said Princeton Chirik as he patted Lu Zhou’s arm. He then said, “I know you mathematics professors aren’t interested in money, but regardless, let me buy you a drink. Don’t forget, I was the one that lent you the laboratory!”

Billionaire was a bit exaggerating, but multi-millionaire was no problem.

Lu Zhou smiled and said, “For sure.”

Professor Chirik then left.

The three students stared at Lu Zhou’s back.

When Lu Zhou turned around, he was stunned and he waved his hand.

“Why are you guys looking at me, go do your stuff.”

Qin Yue and Hardy exchanged glances.

Although they did not know what their boss was talking about, they knew what a billionaire was.

They felt like…

They had chosen an incredible boss.

…

The other side of the Pacific Ocean.

At the carbon nanomaterials laboratory in the University of Jin Ling, the experiment had entered the second half stage.

Under Professor Li Rongen’s direction, Qian Zhongming placed the battery sample under an electron microscope and connected it to the Bk-6808 battery tester.

As the image data came through, Professor Li Rongen’s expression became more and more serious.

A long time passed by…

He stared at the computer screen and suddenly, he broke into a smile.

“Impressive…”

Professor Li Rongen shook his head and took off his glasses. He had only said two words but his heart was beating non-stop.

If it was a normal lithium battery, even with a tough film, the charging process would cause the battery to start generating dead lithium, due to the tip nucleation effect.

However, this unremarkable modified PDMS material was able to inhibit the growing of lithium dendrites by several uncomplicated processes, like the hydrofluoric acid treatment of polydimethylsiloxane and the final spin coating method.

This caused him to think back to 2013 when the ABX3 crystalline perovskite photovoltaic material was rated as one of the world’s top ten scientific breakthroughs. Back then, it had greatly progressed the solar panel industry.

At that time, people were surprised. The steps to prepare the material was too simple. It was basically to mix the two salts, stir it, spin it, then dry it off.

This type of PDMS material was the same.

The production process was not complicated, and the raw materials that were needed were inexpensive.

This was exactly what the industry needed.

Liu Bo, who stood next to Qian Zhongming, could not help but speak emotionally.

“That guy really is a genius…”

“Yeah,” Qian Zhongming pushed his glasses and nodded with approval, “Really is a genius.”

Qian Zhongming remembered how he was the one to teach Lu Zhou how to use the equipment, yet he could not help but wonder.

Is computational materials science really so magical?

Maybe the next time I see him, I’ll have to ask him to teach me mathematics.

Professor Li Rongen looked at the images produced by the electron microscope. He suddenly said, “This year I plan on going to the MRS Conference at America, who wants to come?”

Liu Bo and Qian Zhongming both put their hand up.

Neither of them wanted to miss the conference.

Professor Li shook his head. With a smile, he said, “Okay then, we’re all going.”