Chapter 186: Unexpected Reunion

Translator: Henyee Translations  Editor: Henyee Translations

Once the bottleneck of the lithium anode breakthrough, the entire industry would benefit from it. From mobile phone charging to new energy vehicles, many problems could be solved with the solution of lithium dendrite.

However, the birth of new technology was bound to conflict with the interests of some people.

For example, the laboratories that were doing this experiment.

Proving a mathematics conjecture would only destroy maybe a dozen or so theses. However, developing technology would potentially destroy research projects worth hundreds of millions. Their research projects would be worthless, while his technological invention would be worth billions.

Of course, Lu Zhou did not let this stop him. He still planned on registering the patent and publishing the thesis.

From another perspective, the resources wasted on lithium anode materials could now be allocated to other research projects.

It could be allocated to designing the battery itself, or even the production of the battery.

These resources meant funding, and it also meant researchers.

Once Lu Zhou went back to his dorm, he began to fill in the patent documents. He had to state the thing he was patenting.

For the sake of caution, he did not brag too much. He only stated it as an “improved polydimethylsiloxane nanoporous film”, and said that it “can protect” the anode material.

This was Lu Zhou’s first time applying for a patent, so he did not know that he was being too cautious.

There was a countless patent application for lithium negative electrodes so he could brag all he wanted to.

Some people even dared to claim to solve the lithium dendrite problem.

Just like submitting subpar theses, the patent industry was no different.

The reason for this was that many scientific research projects required patents. Therefore, they were of no use. One had to have patents for a company to have an interest in investing.

Another reason was regarding policy. Many enterprises were using the old fashion way of “catching up”, which created a lot of patent problems. In order to catch up with the technology of developed nations, the National Knowledge Bureau had been relatively lax on patent applications.

Of course, the most important reason for the flood of patents was that patents were different than journals. Journals were strictly peer-reviewed.

Meanwhile, the auditors would only verify if the patent conflicted with other pre-existing patents. They would not really test to see if the patent was as nutty as it claimed to be.

Even journals could not guarantee that every “breakthrough” thesis was real and reliable, how could patents?

Lu Zhou guessed that even when his patent was accepted, no one would notice the value of his technology unless he published his experiment data online, or wait until his patent was approved before he published a thesis to catch the public’s attention.

The materials section was filled out. As for the specific patent application process, Lu Zhou was not worried. He had a reliable party for help.

Lu Zhou’s responsible patent attorney was a 30-year-old man named Han Tianyu. From his CV, this guy looked quite reliable. His professional smile reminded Lu Zhou of insurance sellers.

From domestic patents to international patents, this guy did it all. He promised the fastest handling speed and signed a confidentiality agreement.

Although it cost a lot of money, it was worthwhile to protect his intellectual property rights.

Generally, large enterprises had specialized departments for patent management. Lu Zhou obviously did not have access to that team, so his best choice was to find a reliable patent agency for help.

In fact, many small enterprises and laboratories used patent agencies.

Contacting the auditor and the oral defense was cumbersome. Not to mention, the complicated patent laws were difficult to understand.

If a sophisticated invention had a poorly written patent, the resulting patent could be invalid. The technology could then be stolen by others.

Therefore, the patent exams were one of the hardest exams in the country.

…

After Lu Zhou completed the patent application, he concentrated all of his energy into solving the Polignac’s conjecture.

In fact, his daily lifestyle did not change much. The laboratory visits turned into library sessions while the experiment equipment turned into textbooks…

When Lu Zhou saw the young students in the library, he could not help but think.

Maybe two years later, these students would be calling him Professor Lu?

Wow, it’s quite exciting to think about this.

Suddenly, a jasmine flower scent floated from the side.

Someone poked his arm and quietly asked, “Hey, how do you do this question?”

“Question? Show me… Wait!”

When Lu Zhou saw the person sitting next to him, he was shocked. He almost thought that he was dreaming.

Chen Yushan was happy to see that Lu Zhou was surprised, so she smirked and asked, “How it is, little brother, are you surprised to see me?”

Surprised… Not really, just unexpected.

“Yeah, it’s unexpected…”

Didn’t she get into the University of Yan? Why is she back at the University of Jin Ling…

Wait a minute, something doesn’t feel right.

Lu Zhou suddenly realized the problem.

“… Speaking of which, I’m also a master’s student now.”

He did not want her calling him little brother anymore.

Chen Yushan blinked and said casually, “I know, Meng Qi told me. You graduated at the beginning of the year. Speaking of which, how come you didn’t tell me!”

Chen Yushan had a sliver of complaint in her eyes.

Lu Zhou: “…”

F*ck sake!

You’re the one calling me little brother, so why are you giving me that look!

He wanted to say something but suddenly someone near them coughed.

That loner instantly killed the vibe in the atmosphere.

The two had an awkward expression when they suddenly recalled that they were in the library.

Chen Yushan was a little embarrassed as she pointed to the door and said, “How about we go get something to drink?”

Lu Zhou looked around. Even though he was not done with his calculations, he still nodded, “Okay.”

He could not stand the depressing vibes that were coming from the loners.

Also, since she came all the way from Beijing, he was obligated to hang out with her. Their friendship was still quite good.

Not to mention, she was the one buying.

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