“In the face of the impact of the epidemic and the challenges of special tasks, with the full support and full cooperation of your firm, the model bidding won the leading edge and the special tasks were successfully completed. “In the Spring Festival of 2021 and the summer of 2022, the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences received two letters of thanks from the cooperative units.
The high-performance polymer materials team of the polymer and composite materials laboratory of the institute, under the leadership of Wang Zhen, the person in charge, has developed high-temperature and high-strength composite materials, which has made important contributions to the development of equipment in the national high-tech field.
The ambition of the youth is far-reaching
In 1996, when Wang Zhen was a graduate student, he studied under Ding Mengxian, the founder of polyimide polymer materials in China. Through study, he learned that polyimide material is the “leader” in special engineering plastics, located at the top of the pyramid of engineering plastics, and is one of the irreplaceable key organic polymer materials in the field of high technology.
However, polyimide has not been used in high-tech fields for a long time. A seed of a dream took root in Wang Zhen’s heart – he wanted to solve the problem of practical application of polyimide materials.
Some of the triumphs and joys in scientific research are based on sitting on the “cold bench” for a long time. In order to deliver the products to the users in a timely manner and ensure the smooth development of the equipment, Wang Zhen personally escorted the goods to the users in the case of logistics interruption during the special period; in order to continue to promote scientific research, he gave up the opportunity to study abroad; during his work, he experienced many failed experiments and project demonstrations, but they did not stop him.
After several iterations of research, Wang Zhen led the team to successfully apply polyimide to high-temperature composite materials, which solved the problem of national high-temperature resin matrix composite applications.
In the process of constantly breaking through the bottleneck, Wang Zhen deeply realized that only by starting from the actual demand can polyimide, a material with great potential, be truly applied. Therefore, at the molecular structure level, he tried to carry out the design of asymmetrical polyimide molecules to solve the problem of high melt viscosity, and finally successfully mastered the design ideas of this type of molecule, which not only uses the rigid structure of benzene ring to ensure the high-temperature performance of polyimide, but also uses the rigid twisted structure to improve the solubility of the resin and reduce the melt viscosity.
Don’t forget the original intention
In order to make the new materials more familiar and accepted by users, Wang Zhen extended the research on resin synthesis to the development of composite materials. On the basis of previous research, the team overcame a number of problems, and finally developed composite materials that were finalized and mass-produced in related project equipment, and the annual supply volume was doubled, reaching the ninth level of technical maturity.
Concerned about “national affairs” and shouldering “national responsibilities”, Wang Zhen reminded himself and his team that scientific researchers must see the right direction, endure loneliness, withstand pressure, and withstand criticism.
During the pandemic, many colleagues were quarantined, people.Hand shortage. In order to ensure that the national high-tech project can complete the node tasks on time and with quality, Wang Zhen insisted on leading the production team on the front line, and one person carried the work of many people.
On March 11, 2022, Wang Zhen finally underwent lipoma resection on the back of the head and back under the persuasion of his family. Who knew that in time for the refinement and defense of the temporary notice plan of the two projects, Wang Zhen rushed to the office wrapped in gauze on the second day of the operation and revised the defense plan.
During this period, the team has passed multiple rounds of argumentation and defense, and has obtained the support of key deployment projects of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
As the secretary of the first party branch of polymers, Wang Zhen led the team to overcome difficulties again and again. The carbon fiber reinforced composite fairing main load-bearing parts prepared by the team and aerospace user units have successively passed the ground wind tunnel test and flight test assessment, and for the first time realized the replacement of TC4 titanium alloy material in the main load-bearing structural parts, with a year-on-year weight reduction of up to 30%, greatly improving the flight distance and other technical indicators, and making important contributions to the independent and controllable national important equipment.
Science and technology serve the country and strengthen the country with me
“We must go to the most urgent and urgent problems of the motherland, constantly improve the sense of mission and ability to strengthen the country with science and technology and innovate for the people, make unremitting efforts, and continue to make new contributions to China’s construction of a world science and technology power and the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!” Wang Zhen swore in the “speech under the national flag” of the 2021 “National Day” flag-raising ceremony of Ningbo Institute of Materials.
He led the team to focus on the needs of major national tasks for a long time, guided by the urgent demand for high-temperature and high-strength composite materials in the aerospace field, and devoted himself to the basic and applied research of polyimide resins and their composite materials. The series of original results achieved is the reward of their “original intention”.
They not only took the lead in breaking through the soluble and fusible polyimide resin preparation technology in China, but also solved the problem of the contradiction between the molding process and the temperature resistance level of polyimide composite materials, and a number of grades of polyimide resin and its composite materials have been applied in national key projects, breaking the foreign technology blockade, realizing independent controllability, ensuring the smooth production of equipment, and improving the technical indicators of equipment.
There is light in the heart, and the past is plain. Engaged in polyimide research for 26 years, the difficulties and challenges he has faced, the failures and setbacks he has experienced have not diminished Wang Zhen’s love for the profession and his firm ideals. He often said that it is our duty to redouble our efforts, keep in mind the entrustment of “empty talk to ruin the country, and hard work to rejuvenate the country”, and make unremitting efforts to accelerate the realization of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement with the mission of being the main force of the national strategic scientific and technological forces.
(Source: Ningbo Science and Technology Bureau)