【HaiChuan. Pioneers in the Chemical Industry】Li Junxian – Founder of rocket propellants in China and one of the pioneers of polyurethane materials in China

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In the early 1970s, a type of thermodynamic torpedo in service with the Chinese Navy used kerosene and compressed air as propellants; due to the low energy of these propellants, its technical specifications were far behind those of developed countries. “If we’re going to do it, let’s do it at world-class level! We still need to produce 796 fuel; I’ll be responsible for the delay! ”Li Junxian made a bold decision at a special meeting. Li Junxian is well aware that the performance of propellants has a profound impact on next-generation equipment; if transitional propellants with only modest performance improvements are used, it is uncertain when Chinese torpedoes will be able to reach world-class standards. The 796 fuel project was awarded a prize at the National Science Conference in 1978. This achievement **avoided the need to develop transitional model torpedoes, saving a great deal of manpower and resources, and also advanced the timeline for the development of advanced torpedoes in our country by 3 years. Since then, 796 fuel has become an important torpedo propellant in our country, being used in various types of thermodynamic torpedoes to enhance our national defense capabilities for protecting the vast maritime territories of our homeland. Over the decades he has spent in scientific research, Li Junxian has maintained a strong passion for innovation. Under his leadership, Liming Institute has kept its research on chemical propellants, raw materials, and the chemical material polyurethane at an internationally advanced level. He has not only made outstanding contributions to China’s defense and chemical industries but also laid a solid foundation for the development of Liming Institute. Due to his outstanding contributions in the fields of aerospace and military industry, Li Junxian and his organization have been honored multiple times by ****, the State Council, and the Central **.

Li Junxian often says, “To become a successful scientist, one must be able to endure loneliness, be willing to make sacrifices, and maintain a diligent and meticulous attitude throughout one’s life.” ”Having been engaged in scientific research for over sixty years, he not only said this but also took the lead in doing so. From 1966 to 1982, Li Junxian worked hard on the Qinghai Plateau for 16 years, going through a pioneering process of extreme difficulty that is beyond the imagination of most people. Many who have worked with Lee Jun-hyun have been impressed by his rigorous and dedicated approach to research. Wang Xinde, the chief engineer at Liming Institute, said, “Once, in order to benefit product promotion, the team members wanted to exaggerate the heat resistance of the polyurethane material. Academician Li criticized them on the spot, saying that the report should reflect the actual results of scientific experiments, without any exaggerations.” ” Li Junxian is extremely dedicated to his career, yet he holds little interest in fame and wealth. During the research on polyurethanes, some key problems were solved by Lee Jun-hyun himself, but when it came to signing the applications for recognition of these achievements, he always crossed out his own name. He said, “Work is done together by everyone, and the credit belongs to all of us.” Mr. Lu Xun said that since ancient times, there have been those who work hard without complaint, those who strive with all their might, those who fight for the people, and those who sacrifice themselves in pursuit of truth... These are the backbone of China.

On the morning of June 8, Luoyang Liming Chemical Research and Design Institute Co., Ltd., where Academician Li Junxian works, held a brief ceremony to mark this occasion. According to the Henan Daily, at the beginning of this year, Li Junxian and his wife Ding Dayun wrote to the Party committee of Liming Institute in the name of two veteran Party members, proposing to donate 5 million yuan to support doctoral research and innovation at Liming Institute as well as to assist retired employees in need within the institution. After multiple discussions, the Party Committee of Limingyuan took into account various factors such as the living needs and physical health of the senior scientists, and decided to accept a donation of 3 million yuan. Of this amount, 2 million yuan is allocated to establish a doctoral innovation fund, while 1 million yuan is used to set up a fund for assisting those in need. Currently, the donation of 3 million yuan has been deposited into Liming Hospital’s dedicated account

In March 1928, Li Junxian was born into a poor peasant family in Meishan County, Sichuan Province. When he was very young, his father was sick and unable to work in the fields, so the burden of supporting the family of five fell entirely on his mother’s shoulders. The mother worked hard for many years, but the family’s life remained very difficult; at one point they could not afford to send Lee Jun-hyun to school. Ultimately, with the financial support of the Lee family members, Lee Jun-hyun was able to continue his studies. In August 1950, after graduating with honors from the Department of Chemical Engineering at the National Central Technical College in Leshan, Sichuan (now Chengdu Textile College), Li Junxian intended to seek employment in Chengdu. Rocket, rocket. To save on travel costs, Li Junxian walked from Leshan to Chengdu, taking four days and three nights. However, Chengdu, which had just seen the war come to an end, was in a state of ruin; not to mention getting a job in a factory, even a position as an elementary school teacher was contested by more than a dozen people. Unable to earn money to repay the debts for his family, Li Junxian became extremely depressed every time he received news from home. At that time, the Northeast Chemical Industry Ministry was recruiting workers in Sichuan, and against the objections of many relatives, Li Junxian risked having his ears freeze off in order to go to the Northeast. In 1951, he began working in the research laboratory of the Northeast Chemical Industry Bureau in Shenyang. Due to his hard work, he was later transferred to the Russian Language Training Class of the Ministry of Chemical Industry and to the Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Industry.

After starting work, he held various positions such as technician, trainee, intern, engineer, deputy head of a research laboratory, head of a research laboratory, deputy plant manager and chief engineer, as well as director of a research institute. He worked at the Research Office of the Northeast Chemical Industry Bureau in Shenyang, the Russian Language Training Class under the Tianjin Chemical Industry Department, the Beijing Chemical Research Institute, the Organic Research Institute of the Soviet Chemical Commission, Liming Chemical Plant, and Liming Chemical Research Institute. In 1987 he was awarded the title of senior engineer at the professorial level, and in 1995 he was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering； He has also served successively as a member of the Specialized Group on New Chemical Materials under the Science and Technology Commission, deputy head of the Specialized Group on Rocket Solid Propellants under the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense; as an adjunct professor at East China University of Chemical Technology and Beijing University of Chemical Technology, as well as a supervisor for doctoral and master’s students. He has been an invited judge for the Science and Technology Invention Awards organized by the Science and Technology Commission, a member of the professional judging panel for the Science and Technology Progress Awards issued by the Ministry of Chemical Industry, a member of the board of directors of the Chinese Chemical Society and of its 33rd and 34th committees on fine chemicals, as well as a director, secretary-general, and senior advisor of the China Polyurethane Industry Association ； Also for **representatives of the 6th Henan Provincial Congress**, **representatives of the 15th Congress** ； Adviser to Henan Province **. Li Junxian is one of the main founders of China’s chemical propellant raw material industry. Since the 1950s, it has won numerous awards, including the First Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress from the Ministry of Chemical Industry, the Second Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress, and the Second Prize for Invention. In 1959, he was sent by his organization to work on research at the Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Soviet Central Committee for Chemistry, and returned to his home country a year later. Determined to send rockets into space, the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a space race in the late 1950s. In the early 1960s, China decided to develop advanced defense technologies and assigned tasks for the development of the \"two bombs, one satellite\" and their propellants. At that time, the organization decided to appoint Lee Jun-hyun, in his early 30s, as the head of the Rocket Propellant Research Laboratory. Only Lee Jun-hyun can fully understand how heavy the burden is! Overall, the \"Two Bombs, One Satellite\" project was a large-scale systematic engineering effort; if those projects were completed but no propellants were available, it would be like building cars without gasoline. In 1966, Li Junxian traveled from the Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Technology to Qinghai Province in the far northwest. Not to mention anything else, just the altitude sickness alone is difficult to cope with – the high elevation and low air pressure make it hard to breathe even after taking a few steps. As for food, in the morning I eat broad beans cooked in salt water, and at noon I eat highland barley; eating too much of it causes abdominal distension and discomfort. Li Junxian established a chemical plant at the former site of a fertilizer factory in a remote valley, and began work on the development of aerospace propellants. The sand and wind dried out his skin, while the strong ultraviolet rays darkened his face. Under such harsh living conditions and limited research facilities, they all worked hard, determined to \"send rockets into space.\" For the installation of various devices, Li Junxian always goes to the site in person, conducts repeated inspections, and ensures strict quality control. To obtain first-hand data for the experiments, he and his colleagues often had to spend over a dozen hours continuously observing in a workshop without walls, at temperatures below minus 20 degrees Celsius, before adjusting the process plans. In February 1968, the high-performance chemical propellant used for satellite launches, unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine, which he supervised in the development of, was finally created; both its production process and product quality reached world-class standards. In 1970, China’s first artificial satellite, “Dongfanghong-1”, was launched, using unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine developed by Li Junxian’s team. Recalling this, Li Junxian said affectionately, \"Although life was difficult at that time, I was very happy because I was fortunate to escape the criticism during the Cultural Revolution and was able to do some practical things.\" ”

Research Achievements: Li Junxian is one of the pioneers in the field of polyurethane reaction injection molding technology in China. During his tenure as the head of Liming Institute, he developed a large number of civilian projects that brought significant economic and social benefits. The research and development of polyurethanes, which he led and supervised, has yielded over 20 scientific achievements through key technological projects during the \"Seventh Five-Year Plan\" and \"Eighth Five-Year Plan\" periods. A range of complete sets of technologies related to key raw materials, formulations, processing methods, mold design, and product manufacturing have been developed. Several workshops and production lines have been established within the institute, and its products are used by automobile manufacturers in cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Wuhan. These products are also widely applied in fields such as home appliances, furniture, building materials, oil fields, mines, aviation, and railways. The product has been successfully applied to rocket engines for more than 20 types of strategic and tactical weapons, as well as in aerospace and weapon boosters. In terms of technological innovation, as early as the early 1980s, Li Junxian promoted the establishment of a specialized laboratory at the Liming Chemical Research Institute. He focused on reaction injection molding and simultaneously studied raw materials and additives for polyester products; more than 20 achievements were obtained, many of which filled gaps in domestic research. These achievements played a significant role in the development of China’s RIM-PU industry, covering everything from key raw materials and additives, formulations, and processing techniques to the production of finished products. Today, the research institute has established production lines such as one capable of producing 30,000 sets of car parts per year, one for manufacturing 10,000 tons of polyurethane polyol per year, one for producing 3,000 tons of modified isocyanates per year, one for manufacturing 10 million car shock absorber components per year, one for producing 3,000 tons of polyurethane prepolymers per year, and one for producing 20,000 units of polyurethane elastomer products per year. It also established the “**Polyurethane Reaction Injection Molding Engineering Technology Center**” and the “Polyurethane Sub-center of the China Chemical Industry Productivity Promotion Center**”. Specialized expertise: Fine chemicals: Polyurethanes. Li Junxian has been engaged in research on the synthesis of organic chemicals for a long time. The successful development of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine using the chloramine process has met the needs of various missiles, with the production facilities and product quality at the world’s advanced level ； Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine was successfully developed, meeting the needs for high-efficiency pesticides and long-life satellite attitude control ； Fish Thrust-3 fuel was developed using nitrate esters as its main component; its quality reaches the advanced level of fuels used in thermal torpedo systems in the United States, and it is now employed as a propellant for thermal torpedoes in China ； Participated in leading the pilot-scale research on hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene for solid propellants, to meet the requirements of more than 30 types of rockets and missiles. It has received multiple ** and provincial/municipal-level awards; the research on “Liquid-unit propellant – Yu Tui – 3” won the first prize in the ** Science and Technology Progress Award in 1995. More than 30 academic papers have been published. Awards and Honors: In recognition of his significant contributions to national defense and economic development, Li Junxian was awarded the title of “Advanced Worker with Outstanding Contributions” at the National Science and Technology Conference in 1987 ； In 1987, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions awarded him the titles of “Advanced Science and Technology Worker” and “May 1st Labor Medal”” ； In 1988, the State Council awarded him the title of “Expert with Outstanding Contributions at ** level”” ； In 1989, she was named a “National Advanced Worker”” ； In 1990, the State Council approved him to receive a **special allowance** ； In 1991, the Science and Technology Commission awarded him the title of “Advanced Worker in the Seventh Five-Year Plan Research Projects”. 1978: Research and development of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine; Second National Science Conference, Award for Major Achievements. 1989: Synthesis of high-concentration unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine solution using the chloramine method; **Science and Technology Committee, Invention Award, Third Class. December 1994: Research on the liquid-unit propellant Yu Tui-3; Ministry of Chemical Industry, Award for Scientific and Technological Progress, First Class