US, Chinese Researchers
The validation of “LK-99,” which claims to be the world’s first room-temperature, ambient-pressure superconducting material, continues in the international academic community.
On Aug. 8 (local time), the Cohesive Material Theory Center (CMTC) at the University of Maryland announced through social media that “sadly, the game is over,” presenting their analysis that “LK-99 is not a room-temperature superconductor but a material with very low resistance.”
They continued, “Fighting against the truth is pointless. The data shows it,” and made a remark regarding the paramagnetism (magnetization in the opposite direction of the external magnetic field) displayed in LK-99, “The copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and phosphorus (P) in LK-99 are paramagnetic, so it cannot be helped.”
A professorial team from the International Center for Quantum Materials (ICQM) at Beijing University in China also revealed in a research paper on the pre-print site “arXiv” that they had successfully synthesized a material with a structure similar to LK-99, but could not confirm superconductivity. They asserted, “There is no superconductivity in the LK-99 sample, but a small amount of ferromagnetism (a property where magnetization remains after the magnetic field is removed) was found,” and, “it is hard to believe the claim that it is a superconductor.”
The explanation is that the “Meissner effect” (a phenomenon where a superconductor repels a magnetic field) does not occur in LK-99 under a vertical magnetic field, and only half of the levitation happens due to ferromagnetism. The developers of LK-99 at Quantum Energy Research Institute claimed it was because “the sample is not intact.” However, ICQM assessed that “it is the first time that a material made of lead, copper, phosphorus, and oxygen (like LK-99) exhibits ferromagnetism,” and therefore the experiment has significance as it’s a new material.
India’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) also revealed research results through arXiv, stating, “Superconductivity was not found in LK-99; there is only a little paramagnetism.”
Room-temperature, ambient-pressure superconductors have been referred to as “dream materials” in the scientific and industrial communities. This is due to the complete disappearance of electrical resistance and the ability to repel surrounding magnetic fields. LK-99 became a center of controversy after the Quantum Energy Research Institute uploaded a related paper to arXiv on July 22. ArXiv is a site that publishes papers without peer review.