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The mystery of LK-99: Can this material really superconduct at room temperature?
Since Korean scientists Lee Seok-bae and Kim Ji-hoon published their research on LK-99 in 1999, this gray-black polycrystalline compound has gone through a journey of observation, exploration and controversy. The material was reportedly announced in July 2023 as the first discovered room-temperature superconductor, which immediately attracted great attention from the scientific community and the general public, as well as the ensuing doubts and challenges. The core structure of this material is copper-doped lead-oxygen chalcanthite, which has potential application value, but what is the truth?
LK-99 is considered a new type of superconductor that could one day significantly change areas such as power transmission and magnetic levitation transportation.
The chemical composition of LK-99 is roughly Pb9Cu(PO4)6O, which is similar to the structure of pure lead-chalcanthite and can be prepared by a simple chemical synthesis method. Li Shipei's research team first published a method for synthesizing the material in 1999, but in July 2023, they published a preprint showing that LK-99 exhibits superconducting properties at room temperature and temperatures as high as 400K, which is surprising. People are surprised.
As attention grew, many research teams began trying to replicate the study's findings. From July to August, many laboratories quickly reported their preliminary results, but the initial consensus indicated that LK-99 might not be a superconductor at room temperature, but instead seemed to be an insulator in its pure state. Soon after, various non-superconducting ferromagnetic and diamagnetic phenomena were observed, which were believed by some researchers to be caused by copper sulfide impurities produced during the manufacturing process.
Although the discovery claimed some strong diamagnetic properties, some of which were quickly misinterpreted as signs of superconductivity, the entire series of experimental reports failed to observe any clear superconducting features, such as zero resistance, plummeting Schneider effect or Josephson effect, etc. The scientific community generally questions the superconducting properties of LK-99 and points out the lack of theoretical basis to support these superconducting phenomena.Opposing voices point out that whether this material really exhibits superconducting properties still needs further scientific verification and experimental support.
During the validation process, different experimental setups and samples were carefully examined. This led to a series of reflections, with many researchers questioning whether the specific structure of LK-99 was as originally described and proposing different possibilities. Due to multiple failed replication experiments and a lack of peer review support, LK-99's superconductivity claims have attracted increasing skepticism and criticism.
Many scientists have begun calling for more rigorous evaluation of these preliminary findings and to avoid over-hyping unproven scientific discoveries.
In terms of social response, LK-99's report quickly went viral on social media and had a huge impact. Some technology stocks briefly rallied on investor interest, but lingering skepticism caused the enthusiasm to quickly fade. As more reports of failures came to light, investors and the public gradually realized that expectations for the material might have been too optimistic.
Currently, research on LK-99 is still ongoing, and many scientists hope to gain a deeper understanding of its true properties and explore whether there are other unsolved physical mechanisms. Will it be possible to find room-temperature superconductors over time, or is LK-99 just another unfulfilled dream in the history of science?
