Chapter 263: Confidential

The sky is high and the clouds are thin; the sun is already three poles high.

Sunlight streams through the gaps in the curtains, casting fine, fragmented light spots on the carpet. Wu Hui pushes open the window, and a gentle breeze brushes against his face, fresh and natural.

Taking a few deep breaths, he feels his head clear up significantly. Wu Hui rubs his throbbing brow: "No more drinking!"

Sun Jiamu glances at him: "Leader, yesterday, the day before yesterday, and even the day before that, you said the same thing!"

Wu Hui freezes, speechless.

He tilts his head back, thinks for a long time, and finds a perfect excuse: "It's all Wang Qi Zhi's fault!"

"Right!" Sun Jiamu nods heavily, "Blame Wang Qi Zhi!"

Counting it up, the two of them have been in Xijing for five days. They have seen the Dayan Pagoda, strolled around Furong Lake, visited the Provincial Museum, and toured Jingling and Duling. They even took a trip up Zhongnan Mountain to get a glimpse of the monastic life of modern hermits.

After wandering around all day, shouldn't they enjoy themselves in the evening?

Wang Qi Zhi specializes in hospitality; he takes them wherever the food is good and wherever there are local specialties.

Yet every day before sitting down at the table, both men swear solemnly: not a single drop of alcohol tonight.

But without exception, they get drunk every day.

Naturally, by the time they wake up the next day, it is almost noon. After eating lunch and wandering around a bit, it is dark again.

Then, the whole thing repeats exactly as before.

In five days, they have drunk three cases of ten-year-old Moutai, but the two of them still don't even know where the door to Lin Sicheng's Research Center opens?

"We can't be fooled again!" Wu Hui sighs, "Today, no matter what flowery words Wang Qi Zhi uses, we aren't going anywhere."

Sun Jiamu thinks for a moment: "We've been wandering for five days, there shouldn't be any places left to go, right?"

"Who says?" Wu Hui scoffs, "Have you been to the Terracotta Army?"

"Huh?"

For someone in archaeology to come to Xijing and not see the Terracotta Army is truly unjustifiable.

Tsk, dragged out for another day?

Just as he is muttering, there are two "knock-knock" sounds, and Sun Jiamu opens the door.

Looking at the prying Wang Qi Zhi, he squints his eyes and scoffs: "Professor Wang, where are you planning to take us today?"

"No more wandering; seeing too many tourist spots is boring, we'll go to the rest another day!" Wang Qi Zhi says with a straight face, "Today I'm taking the two leaders to see the Research Center!"

"Ha, no more stalling?" Wu Hui laughs, "After five days of deliberation, what is Lin Sicheng prepared to use to fool the two of us?"

"Rest assured, absolutely no fooling!" Wang Qi Zhi argues righteously, "It will definitely satisfy the two leaders!"

The two exchange a glance: is it for real?

Actually, on the first day, they had already sensed it.

Although Lin Sicheng said he had some major discoveries that needed focused research, taking at most three to five days, the two suspected that Lin Sicheng must have encountered some difficult problem.

It is normal, and both express their understanding: this isn't growing vegetables, where you bury seeds in the ground and add some water to make sprouts grow. This is restoring ancient craftsmanship lost for thousands of years; it would be strange if he didn't encounter problems.

At the same time, the two are also wondering: has Lin Sicheng been firing blanks from the very beginning?

Perhaps it isn't like he said, having tons of samples, or perhaps, he hasn't found anything at all?

But having coaxed them to Xijing, Lin Sicheng must be planning to bring out something real, so Wu Hui and Sun Jiamu have been patient, following Wang Qi Zhi around for five days.

Is the truth finally about to be revealed?

The two perk up, tidy up briefly, and follow Wang Qi Zhi downstairs.

The hotel is right next to the school, just a turn away. After entering the school gate, Wang Qi Zhi leads them straight to the Experimental Center of the Cultural Heritage College.

Looking left and right, Sun Jiamu squints his eyes: "Professor Wang, this place isn't right, is it? I remember you saying that your Research Center is a separate three-story building?"

"I'm afraid I'll startle you later, so I'm leading the two of you to lay some groundwork first!" Wang Qi Zhi points with a smile, "My laboratory is upstairs!"

"The one doing research on iron Cultural Relics protection?"

"Right!"

The eyes of the two light up.

This project is something only a few top institutions have just begun to dabble in, such as the National Cultural Heritage Administration's Cultural Relics Research Institute, the National Museum of China, or Peking University.

It can be said: these institutions are basically all crossing the river by feeling the stones, and there isn't even a clear research direction yet. To put it another way: they are all throwing money into it hard, but doing so blindly.

According to Wang Qi Zhi, he and Lin Sicheng are also crossing the river by following the National Museum of China and the Cultural Relics Research Institute, but Wu Hui has a gut feeling it isn't that simple.

Even the Cultural Relics Research Institute and the National Museum of China themselves dare not guarantee that their research direction is definitely correct, or whether the vast amount of money thrown in will be wasted—how can you "feel" your way through that?

"Let's go up and take a look!"

Wang Qi Zhi leads the way, heading straight to the third floor.

He doesn't give much of an introduction, only saying he is bringing friends to take a look; each team greets them and continues with their own duties.

Wang Qi Zhi originally wanted to explain, but Wu Hui doesn't take the bait at all.

Having spent half a lifetime in research and being in charge of the most top-tier and authoritative department in the field of archaeology, Wu Hui firmly believes in one principle:

Of those who lead in academia, eight out of ten love to spout nonsense, and you can squeeze seven parts of water out of every pound of their words.

You have to look at how those specifically doing the technical research are working.

He waves his hand, signaling Wang Qi Zhi not to speak, as he will look for himself.

Wang Qi Zhi follows his lead and takes them into the laboratory.

Compared to before the new year, the scale of the laboratory has expanded by nearly double, several sets of new equipment have been added, and the original two experimental groups have expanded to three.

Including support staff, the number of people has more than doubled.

As always, everyone is attending to their own duties, focused and engaged.

Wu Hui nods secretly.

He has always believed that it is better for those doing research to be a bit purer, just like what is before him: you look at your work, I do mine.

There is no need to care about whether it is a leader or who brought them; I just need to do my job well, and the rest will naturally be handled by the leaders above.

From this, it can be seen that Lin Sicheng's laboratory management level is quite high.

He turned his thoughts inward, taking a quick look around like someone viewing flowers from horseback.

But the more he looked, the more Wu Hui felt something was wrong: No... what exactly is being researched here?

Several groups were conducting experiments, all on passivation treatments for metal rust prevention, but the specimens being tested left him somewhat confused:

Beef tallow, rapeseed oil, tea leaves, pine resin, edible alkaline water, phosphate rock, water glass (a natural mineral, commonly known as water glass), graphite, epoxy resin... and there was even glucose?

He stared for a long time: "Wang Qi Zhi, what is this researching?"

"The film-forming components in ancient metal rust prevention technology!"

Wu Hui was stunned, his mouth hanging open for a long time.

People always talk about Iron Cultural Relic Protection, but for the same type of cultural relic protection, the research directions have essential differences:

The Cultural Relics Research Institute's research direction is Excavated Iron Artifact Protection Research, which belongs to the field direction.

The National Museum of China's research direction is Technical Research on Collection-based Iron Artifacts, mainly targeting cultural and museum institutions.

Both projects fall under the National Cultural Heritage Administration's Metal Cultural Relic Protection and Restoration Technology and Craft.

But regardless of which one it is, and regardless of whether it is the Cultural Relics Research Institute, the National Museum of China, or later Peking University, or Beijing University of Technology, they all focus on "already excavated cultural relics" and "modern protection technology."

To put it plainly: preventing "catastrophic" rust and corrosion phenomena after metal cultural relics are excavated.

For example, some Bronze, when just excavated, are bright and shiny, but some can rust as if coated with a layer of black lacquer within minutes.

Even more will rust into dregs and crumble into powder at a speed visible to the naked eye.

So, isn't this "ancient metal rust prevention" that Lin Sicheng and Wang Qi Zhi are doing going in the opposite direction, working against each other?

Then, how was Wang Qi Zhi "crossing the river by feeling the stones of the Cultural Relics Research Institute and the National Museum of China" as he said before?

Wu Hui frowned: "What about the core data? Can I take a look?"

"You can look, of course!" Wang Qi Zhi pondered for a moment, "But Leader, you must keep it confidential!"

Wu Hui was so angry he laughed: Wang Qi Zhi, you haven't eaten pork, but haven't you seen a pig run?

You entered the Cultural Relics Research Institute right after graduating from university, and you've been at it for seven or eight years; you studied metal Cultural Relics Protection and you work in metal Cultural Relics Protection, and you are a Researcher who has received ministerial-level awards—can't you tell if your students are researching correctly?

Setting all that aside, your father-in-law's surname is Shan, right? What information can't you find, and what data can't you see?

And yet, this is it?

It's already generous of me not to point at your nose and mock you, and you, on the other hand, want me to keep it confidential?

"Fine, I'll keep it confidential!" Wu Hui was both angry and amused, "Turn on the computer for me!"

The computer was already on, and Wang Qi Zhi entered the password.

Wu Hui waved his hand, telling him to step aside.

Just after clicking on the Folder, he paused slightly: Metal Cultural Relic Protection and Restoration Technology and Craft.

Subdirectories: Excavated Iron Artifact Protection Research, Technical Research on Collection-based Iron Artifacts.

It all seems correct, right?

The project titles are not a single word different from those of the National Museum of China and the Cultural Relics Research Institute; nine times out of ten, it was copied from their materials.

With this thought, Wu Hui first clicked on the first sub-folder, which was "Excavated Iron Artifacts."

This research started relatively early; the National Cultural Heritage Administration initiated the project in the late 1980s, preliminarily solving the technical difficulties of iron artifact Desalination and Corrosion Inhibition, and even won the third prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 1996.

But since then, no significant progress has been made, and it has basically been improving and micro-innovating on the original foundation.

Looking closer: the first half of the document cites key technologies that have already been broken through, such as research on the deterioration mechanism of metal cultural relics, corrosion mechanisms in burial environments, and the use of scientific and technological means to analyze the composition of rust products.

The latter part covers the development of protection and restoration technology, preventive protection systems, and the evaluation of the application and transformation of pre-research results.

Looking at it this way, Wang Qi Zhi didn't lie: they are indeed crossing the river by feeling the stones of the two national-level institutions. One could even say that the coverage, research direction, and project focus were all copied from the Cultural Relics Research Institute and the National Museum of China.

But why, after copying to the end, did it go off track by a hundred thousand miles?

Suspicious, Wu Hui continued to look down and opened the project plan.

Huh, that doesn't seem right?

Not only did they copy it wrong, but they actually managed to copy extra things?

In addition to film-forming materials, Lin Sicheng also made research plans for materials such as consolidation and restoration reversibility. But Wu Hui remembered that the Cultural Relics Research Institute and the National Museum of China hadn't started researching those yet, right?

He tilted his head, trying hard to recall: it had only been two years since he transferred from the Cultural Relics Research Institute to the Archaeology Department; even if his memory was poor, it couldn't be that bad?

It just wasn't there!

After thinking for a long time, he pointed to the screen, "Where did these two directions come from, this consolidation and restoration reversible material?"

"Innovation!" Wang Qi Zhi said concisely, "We can't just follow behind and copy forever; otherwise, we'll never get anything fresh. Of course, we have to find a way to come up with some new things of our own."

Wu Hui suddenly realized and looked back subconsciously: the beef tallow, tea seed oil, tea leaves, and pine resin that those experimental groups were researching were the film-forming materials referred to in the document.

The rest were the consolidation and restoration reversible materials.

Looking at it this way, Lin Sicheng's research direction was basically correct.

For example, the main research direction of the Cultural Relics Research Institute and the National Museum of China at the current stage is for Corrosion Inhibition agents to adsorb onto metal to reduce the damage of electrochemical corrosion to cultural relics. This is the film-forming material in Lin Sicheng's plan.

However, both institutions focus on compounds: either improvements, such as early nitrogen-containing compounds and sulfur-containing compounds, or research and development, such as amine compounds, mainly studying molecular permeation Corrosion Inhibition technology in compound film formation.

And what Lin Sicheng is experimenting with are natural substances and Inorganic Salt. It's not that the Cultural Relics Research Institute and the National Museum of China haven't considered them, but firstly, they rely too much on Physical Isolation, which only isolates the surface of the cultural relic and has poor durability.

Secondly, the effect is unstable and sometimes has the opposite effect. Like animal and vegetable oils, they are prone to oxidation and spoilage, which instead accelerates the corrosion of cultural relics.

So, Lin Sicheng's direction is correct, but the plan is off.

Looking at the remaining two items in the document, the so-called consolidation materials and reversible restoration materials, they should be the ones the laboratory is researching later: edible alkaline water, phosphate rock, water glass, graphite, epoxy resin, etc.

These two directions are of course also correct, but Wu Hui felt they were a bit too advanced.

Because only by breaking through the barrier of Corrosion Inhibition can there be so-called consolidation and restoration.

To put it simply: you must first ensure that the cultural relic no longer rusts or corrodes before you can restore and consolidate it. Otherwise, repairing it is just a waste of effort.

Looking at it this way, Lin Sicheng researching this now is like shooting at a target in the air.

But Wu Hui didn't make a sound.

In Artifact Research, the hardest part is daring to imagine, and even harder is daring to act. Lin Sicheng being able to design a research direction out of thin air and formulate a concrete research plan already surpassed the vast majority of researchers.

At least he was better than Wang Qi Zhi.

Therefore, it didn't matter if he was wrong; at worst, he could start over from the beginning, but one must absolutely not dampen his enthusiasm.

While deep in thought, Wu Hui took a rough look, then clicked on the second Folder, which was the one titled "Collection Cultural Relics."

It was much the same as the first, basically following the research direction and path of the National Museum of China:

Centering on the full-chain research of "deterioration mechanism-evaluation technology-protective materials-prevention regulations," to establish a comprehensive disease prevention system for collection Cultural Relics.

I have to say, he copied... oh no, he followed it quite closely: like Ultrasonic Assisted Desalination and Three-dimensional Finite Element Analysis, these two items the National Museum of China had only just begun to dabble in.

Huh, wait, that's not right.

What is this below?

Benzotriazole (BTA) Corrosion Inhibition compounding process system?

Isn't this the improved process for nitrogen-containing compound corrosion inhibitors that the National Museum of China is currently researching?

In an instant, Wu Hui's eyes widened: this is a national special core technology; no matter how strong Wang Qi Zhi's connections are or how bold he is, it is impossible for him to take such a thing and give it to his student to copy.

Besides, it is still in the research stage and hasn't even been reported yet; unless he ran to the National Museum of China's laboratory and copied it while looking at the computer.

Wu Hui suddenly became energized, scrolling the mouse, word for word:

I. Solvent-based compounding system.

Solvent types: water, acetone, ethanol.

Application scenarios: 1. Bronze protection.

Concentration... compounding process... function and mechanism...

Effect: Corrosion inhibition efficiency increased from 50% to 75%.

2. Iron Cultural Relic Protection:

Concentration... compounding process... function and mechanism...

Effect: Corrosion inhibition efficiency increased from 30% to 70%.

Wu Hui's eyes widened bit by bit: what is the current BTA corrosion inhibition rate at the National Museum of China?

Copper, 65%; iron, 60%!

Does that mean the formula improved by Lin Sicheng is 10% higher than the National Museum of China's?

At first glance, it felt both ridiculous and funny.

For example: a poor student copies a top student's exam paper, the top student only scored eighty, but the poor student copied it into a hundred?

But Wu Hui couldn't laugh.

Because there was more later: innovative compounding process to replace BTA, reducing environmental toxins.

Note: Patented technology.

I. Low-toxicity system, Inorganic Salt synergy type:

1. Molybdate/Tungstate compounding

Application scenario: Iron Cultural Relic anti-rust return

Compounding composition: BTA + Sodium Molybdate (NaMoO) or Sodium Tungstate (NaWO)

Action mechanism: Formation of FeMoO/MoO-FeO or WO-FeO composite passivation film, enhancing anodic retardation.

Ratio and process: Molar ratio of BTA to Tungstate 2:1, total concentration of compounding solution 5×10mol/L...

2. Phosphate/Silicate compounding

BTA + Phosphate (such as Sodium Tripolyphosphate) or Silicate (such as Water Glass)

Action mechanism: Composite corrosion inhibitor can promote the transformation of unstable rust layer (γ-FeOOH) into stable rust layer (α-FeO)

II. Non-toxic composite formula system:

1. Multi-functional environmentally friendly composite formula

BTA + Polyaspartic Acid + Sodium Tungstate + Zinc Gluconate...

BTA + Ethanolamine + Sodium Gluconate...

Effect: Corrosion inhibition rate ≥96%, and no toxic coloring.

2. Plant-derived-inorganic compounding.

Tannic Acid + BTA...

Catechin + BTA...

III. Organic material composite sealing system:

1. Resin composite type: Epoxy Resin/Polyurethane/BTA...

2. Graphene modified composite sealing material: Graphene oxide-based B72...

IV. Standards and process flow...

V. Key control parameters...

Unknowingly, the mouse scrolled to the end.

As if unable to believe it, Wu Hui started looking from the beginning again, once, twice, three times...

Finally, he turned his neck and looked toward the laboratory:

Beef tallow, rapeseed oil, tea leaves, pine resin, edible alkaline water, phosphate rock, Water Glass, Graphite, Epoxy Resin, Glucose...

Then he turned his head back to look at the computer: organic matter, plant-derived, Inorganic Salt...

Wang Qi Zhi smiled reservedly: "Leader, it's confidential!"

(End of this chapter)