Niobium and Graphene
"Listen, grab a piece of paper and I'll write it down for you," Connie said with a smile to George.
He jumped up excitedly and went to get paper and a pen for Connie to write the recipe.
Alex knew it wouldn't be that easy. He could help by giving the recipe, but thought it best not to interfere in family matters.
"I've never seen him run that fast," Mary joked.
"It's the first time I've seen him run at all," Sheldon added.
"Here it is," George returned, clearly thrilled, and handed Connie the paper and pen.
"Thanks."
After receiving both, Connie began writing something down.
"I'll make this for you over the weekend," George whispered enthusiastically to Mary.
"Okay, but this is for your eyes only, don't share it with anyone," Connie said with a serious face.
"I'd never do that," George replied quickly, overjoyed.
He grabbed the slip of paper and returned to his seat while eagerly opening it to read.
Alex noticed the smile slowly vanish from George's face.
George turned and looked at Connie like he was about to cry.
"You're a terrible person," George said and sat down unhappily.
Connie burst out laughing at George's reaction.
"What's written on it?" Georgie asked, curious.
"I want to know what it says too," Missy said.
"So do I," Sheldon added.
Already irritated, George told everyone to go back to eating and forget about it.
"Can I read it?" Mary asked.
George handed her the slip of paper. As soon as Mary read it, she almost laughed—but quickly changed her expression and looked at her mother with a serious face.
"You're a horrible person," Mary scolded her mother.
"Hilarious," Connie just laughed.
"All right, enough about pork chops. Are you guys excited for tomorrow's church picnic?" Mary changed the subject.
At that moment, Georgie, Sheldon, and Missy didn't show the enthusiasm Mary expected.
Lunch went smoothly until George fell for another prank by Connie.
After eating, Alex returned home, went back to the lab, and the day passed like that.
...
A few days later, George's issues with Connie were solved thanks to Sheldon.
Alex entered a scientific forum online and began accessing research data from other scientists.
Which was great—now he had access to new knowledge to advance his research.
Days passed until a news report aired: next week, a new rocket will launch from Cape Canaveral.
Alex remembered that in the TV series, Sheldon and George go watch the launch, but things go wrong.
Although interested, he wasn't planning to go—better to stay home and research.
He planned to publish a scientific article to demonstrate his brilliance and officially enter the scientific world.
In Brazil, there's a mineral called niobium. It has a strong ability to form alloys, increasing resilience and decreasing the weight of steel and other materials.
It also has strong superconductive properties, withstands high temperatures, and is well-suited for challenging environments.
It can be used in various fields, such as: Automotive Industry, Energy Industry, Aerospace Industry end Many other sectors
Alex planned to use niobium in the structure of his ARC reactor.
But now he had to write a scientific paper about niobium and its applications in various fields.
He intended to focus on its use in energy systems and superconductive chips.
Alex deduced several uses for niobium, already preparing for his future plans.
Besides niobium, Alex considered using graphene, but felt it best to keep that secret for now.
In his other life, Alex read an article about graphene's uses and when it was discovered.
He was still in the year 1989—far from 2004, the year graphene was discovered in his other life.
Alex realized that graphene, combined with niobium, had marvelous applications, enhancing conductivity and strength.
With these two materials, the only thing missing for Alex to build the ARC reactor was palladium.
Alex knew creating a new element wasn't possible at the moment.
But for now, Alex focused on writing the scientific article, which he titled: NIOBIUM AND ITS APPLICATIONS IN SUPER BATTERIES AND SUPERCONDUCTIVE CHIPS