On the 22nd of July 2023, a Korean research team announced in two, non-peer reviewed papers, to have found a room temperature, room pressure superconductor[1],[2] and provided a video showing the magnetic properties of the material and the recipe to recreate it. Since then, several studies have been conducted by scientists all over the world and now the results are starting to get published.
What is superconductivity?
“Superconductivity is a set of physical properties observed in certain materials where electrical resistance vanishes and magnetic fields are expelled from the material”[3], one example of those properties is levitation, also known as the Meissner effect.
What are the potential applications for a superconductor?
Superconductors are already used in several technologies, MRI machines, particle accelerator or mass spectrometers but a room temperature, room pressure superconductor could lead to huge improvements on electric grids, allowing for high-capacity transmission with lower total electrical losses[4] compared to a normal conductor, such as aluminium or copper, which are currently used in transmission lines[5].
Is LK-99 a superconductor?
Several groups of scientists have reproduced the material following the instruction contained in the original paper. Most of the results have been negative or inconclusive[6]. The material did show diamagnetism and weird magnetic properties but there is still no confirmation that the resistivity is zero, which is needed for the compound to be a superconductor.
[1] https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.12008
[2] https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/2307/2307.12037.pdf
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superconductivity
[4] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136403211501120X?via%3Dihub#s0005
[5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/line-conductor
[6] https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/claims-of-room-temperature-and-ambient-pressure-superconductor.1106083/page-13
