In human history, there have
been three major technological revolutions.
For the first time, the steam revolution, in which machinery replaced manpower, directly subverted the labor market that had existed for thousands of years.
In the second time, the electrical revolution and the efficiency of mechanical work entered a period of rapid growth.
The third time, computers, the Internet, biotechnology, aerospace technology, nanotechnology, etc.
It is obvious that since the beginning of the third industrial revolution, the technological explosion has spread from the main trunk to various branches.
Therefore, the third industrial revolution has neither a clear definition nor a clear sign.
So, what will happen next in the fourth industrial revolution?
Is it like the previous two times, when an epoch-making super-heavy technology suddenly appeared, shaking the entire technology tree?
Or is it like the third time, mixing new energy, 3D printing, and AI into a pot?
If you want to make leaps and bounds of progress, of course, you have to directly change the bottom energy source like the previous two technological revolutions.
Without breakthroughs in energy technology, any advanced industry will be an unrealistic fantasy.
Taken together, the technologies currently on the table of human society, such as AI and new energy, are not qualified to become the backbone.
In addition to the famous controllable nuclear fusion, probably only universal superconductivity can take on this important task.
Why? Because of electricity.
Electricity is wonderful.
I think back then, when Faraday discovered the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction and created a generator, many people laughed at it and said, "What is the use of something that only flows in a conductor?"
Everyone knows today that electricity revolutionized steam and became the most important carrier of modern technology.
Today, only by revolutionizing electricity can we revolutionize modern technology and enter the future world.
In recent days, room-temperature superconductivity, a concept that is relatively unfamiliar to the public, has frequently dominated the search rankings.
When did Chinese netizens become so fond of learning?
Let’s briefly review the development trajectory of events.
On July 22, Sukbae Lee, a scientist at the Korean Quantum Energy Research Center, published two papers on arXiv, announcing the discovery of the superconducting material LK-99 and disclosing the synthesis technology.
The synthesis method of materials is extremely simple and can be done in high school experiments.
Some people may not know what this concept is.
It's like an ape-man who can't even speak tells you with gestures that he can build a nuclear bomb.
So my first reaction was to open the door for Weibo—it was so outrageous.
What are superconducting materials?
As the name suggests, it is a superconductor with a resistivity of 0.
Let’s make a metaphor that is not very vivid.
If the slide in an amusement park is made of cement and has a rough surface, it will be impossible for a child to slide down while sitting on it, and someone must push it from behind.
Only by laying a layer of smooth iron sheet on the surface, or replacing it with other materials with low resistance, can it slide down smoothly.
That's pretty much what superconductivity means.
In the past, it only existed in theory, required extremely low temperature conditions to realize, and the cost was much higher than the economic value.
For example, the maglev train we have seen was basically just a demonstration at the expense of money, and we have not seen any country actually fully promote it.
If room-temperature superconducting materials can be made, the industrial structure established over hundreds of years since the second industrial revolution will be reshaped.
Take South Korea’s LK99 as an example. If it is proven to be true, it will not matter even if it takes five or ten years to be launched.
The next fifty years will be its stage.
Think about it, there is zero loss in the power transmission link. What is the concept?
The vast deserts in North Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Xinjiang, China, can be covered with photovoltaic panels, and then the electricity can be transmitted to the whole world intact.
The energy crisis is no longer a problem.
In addition to energy, there is also great imagination in terms of specific applications.
For example, if all existing electric cars are upgraded to superconducting cars, there will be no energy loss, and if a photovoltaic panel is installed on the roof of the car, it will be directly close to a perpetual motion machine.
Charging for half an hour, it can run for a year.
All in all, it’s just cool, it would be great if it were real.
Superconducting materials are too subversive, and there have been too many cases of fraud in recent years.
So when I see similar news again, my first reaction is that there is another scientific liar.
However, until it is falsified, it will always be the focus of global attention.
The verification will take at least a week, so the hearts of people around the world are in their throats these days.
Just waiting to see if this is nonsense or if it's true.
On July 31, Beihang researchers submitted a paper on arXiv, stating that no superconductivity of LK-99 was found.
Researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the United States also submitted a paper to arXiv, believing that LK-99 may have superconductivity.
Almost at the same time, Russian scientists announced that they had successfully prepared LK-99 crystals with room-temperature diamagnetic properties. However, the results showed that they were much stronger than the currently commonly used pyrolytic graphite, but were much more diamagnetic.
However, this does not prove that LK99 has the characteristics of 0 resistance.
Just when the truth is confusing, the American company Taj Quantum released photos of a newly discovered fragile graphene foam material, which is also a room temperature superconducting material.
Although the material has not been peer-reviewed or evaluated by a third-party laboratory, no performance data has been provided.
However, the investment market doesn’t care about you.
You’ve been eating melons for so long, why don’t you take a gamble on the fourth industrial revolution?
If you want to say which sector is the most popular in the past two days, it must be room temperature superconductivity.
Overnight, it has a dime relationship with superconductivity, but it is actually just a power grid company, American Superconductor. Because of these two keywords, the stock directly rose by 60%. It once rose by more than 150% before the market opened. It is better than domestic investors to follow. theme.
It's so hot that it's hard for investors not to pay attention.
Let’s take a look first.
If this thing comes to fruition, in addition to traditional energy sources such as firepower, all walks of life will benefit from this major event comparable to the Industrial Revolution.
In A-shares, as a rule, the first one to be speculated is usually the material direction, such as the synthetic materials of this wave of experiments, material companies involved in lead oxide, lead sulfate, copper and phosphorus, followed by the product end of room temperature superconductivity. company.
In terms of funds, the upstream non-ferrous ETFs, followed by the electrical industry, have to be rebuilt, such as photovoltaic ETFs,
power ETFs, machine tool ETFs, high-end manufacturing ETFs, new energy vehicle ETFs, etc.
It seems like there is money everywhere, where to pick it up first?
Unfortunately, the idea is very beautiful, but the reality is very skinny.
On August 1, the superconducting sector surged 7%, and continued to open higher the next day.
The retail investors who were fooled into entering that day thought they could pick up money.
Unexpectedly, the Korean team actually took the initiative to refute the rumors:
The paper is flawed and was published without permission by a member.
The A-share superconducting sector fell in response, from 8 points at the opening to only 3.3 points at the closing price.
Anyone who bought it on August 2nd is locked up!
Maybe these guys are the shareholders of American Superconductor, and they made a lot of money yesterday by pumping and dumping?
I have put so much effort into doing experiments, and billions of people around the world eat melons, and you actually say that I made a mistake?
From the closing on August 1st to the opening on August 2nd.
Unexpectedly, the fourth industrial revolution, which had high hopes, ended in just 18 hours...
No wonder some people say:
The biggest contradiction now is that scientific progress is too slow, while A-share investors learn too quickly.
Scientists still have little idea about it, but A-share investors are already rubbing their hands with LK-99.
But what if it comes out?
Not to mention these A-share companies, even American Superconductor has nothing to do with superconducting materials.
Currently, there are more than 20 companies related to the superconducting sector.
It can be said with certainty that none of these 20 companies are developing room-temperature superconductors. The most they develop are high-temperature and high-pressure superconductors, which is completely inconsistent with the concept of this hype.
So, don’t think there will be real performance support.
For example, Overclocking Three, whose stock price is at an all-time low.
This company only makes radiators and has nothing to do with superconductivity.
It's just that because conductive materials are used in radiators, it was inexplicably included in the superconducting concept stock.
In other words, it is the counterfeit among counterfeits.
Even though the most authentic superconducting concept stock, Western Superconducting, was speculated just two years ago, and its price rose by as much as four times, how could any fool carry a sedan chair for others?
In short, don’t think that the fourth industrial revolution has really arrived and then hold positions for the long term.
Anyone who has played stocks for a few years knows that the stock market will experience an epoch-making "industrial revolution" every once in a while, so don't get excited.
Isn’t it just a revolution? What’s so strange about it?
No, the "
medical revolution
" came again on the afternoon of August 2.
Its life is shorter, ending in 2.5 hours.
The concept of room temperature superconductivity is really wonderful.
No wonder it has been hyped again and again, and its popularity never fades.
Because, in the game of modern international politics, there are two roles that are never absent:
1. Energy; 2. Energy transportation.
Whoever can solve these two problems will make the world at least 90% more peaceful than it is now.
Who can? Superconducting materials can.
Still following the above principle, here are a few examples.
Digital products are basically not broken. A Yadi electric car can drive as fast as a Ferrari and make you doubt your life. One generator is worth ten...
Moreover, it can also create some new applications, such as superconducting energy storage.
Current can be stored in superconducting coils, which
has unique advantages over battery capacitors.
In addition, electricity and magnetism are actually the same thing. Having electricity means having magnetism.
Once there are new breakthroughs in magnetic field technology and controllable nuclear fusion is also put on the agenda, mankind will enter the era of unlimited energy. (relative to the size of the human race)
Traveling into outer space and colonizing Mars are all things that will happen naturally.
Even houses can float in the air, airplanes can be equipped with brakes and put into reverse gear, and you can go to work on a magic carpet... The whole world has been completely changed.
If you have energy, you will be willful!
In short, the future of superconductivity is great.
If only it were true!
It's a pity that mankind's existing theoretical models can't even scratch the surface of high-temperature superconductivity, let alone room-temperature superconductivity.
So what to do? Quantum mechanics in doubt?
Quantum mechanics lowered its head in shame. This matter is not my business. Let’s look for the theory of relativity?
But the theory of relativity has never entered the door of superconductivity.
Existing theoretical physics is of little help.
For scientists, they can only continue to take various materials and try their luck like the ancient alchemists.
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