LK-99: Replicated material does not show superconductivity
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The Center for Condensed Matter (CMTC) at the University of Maryland in the US is the first major organization to rebut the claims of superconductivity in the newly synthesized material LK-99. CMTC cited studies conducted in three nations to dismiss claims about the material.
Property replication a failure
The US-based research center referred studies conducted in China, India, and Taiwan for its rebuttal. One such study by researchers at the National Physics Laboratory in India found that sample replicates of LK-99 showed no superconductivity but only diamagnetism.
In a thread on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the CMTC pointed out that many materials exhibited the property of diamagnetism, including lead and copper, the ingredients of LK-99.
Research by ICQM in China similarly detected trace ferromagnetism, indicating attraction to both magnet poles. In contrast, diamagnetism involves material repulsion from both poles.
Both these papers, as well as researchers from National Taiwan University (NTU), collectively unveil significant aspects that challenge the LK-99 hype. Researchers discovered that as temperature decreases, LK-99 exhibits notable semiconducting or insulating resistivity.
One aspect of ICQM and NTU (also NPL) results is the extreme high semiconducting/insulating resistivity (increases with decreasing T) with the room temperature resistivity ~ 2.10^5 https://t.co/K0eeC1u4kP which is billion times the Cu resistivity. LK99 seems to be an Anti-SC! pic.twitter.com/1Fj69whOIT
— Condensed Matter Theory Center (@condensed_the) August 8, 2023
To put it plainly, LK-99 is far from being a superconductor, rendering all the buzz about levitating particles meaningless. The CMTC quashed this hype in a tweet.
With a great deal of sadness, we now believe that the game is over. LK99 is NOT a superconductor, not even at room temperatures (or at very low temperatures). It is a very highly resistive poor quality material. Period. No point in fighting with the truth. Data have spoken.
— Condensed Matter Theory Center (@condensed_the) August 8, 2023
Sample replication a success
The material LK-99 gained worldwide attention when scientists from the Quantum Energy Research Centre in South Korea shared their findings about it on pre-print servers. These reports weren't peer-reviewed, and their assertions, including claims of room-temperature superconductivity, garnered notice for lacking expert validation in the field.
The South Korean researchers soon provided instructions for lab synthesis, after which scientists worldwide hurried to replicate it and shared early results through social media channels.
Following the hype, the Quantum Energy Research Centre set up a committee to verify the claims about the material. Interesting Engineering had reported that the committee would have to wait for weeks to get their hands on the original samples.
The committee also suggested that laboratories can verify the claims about superconduction in the replicate samples they had synthesized in their own labs. Comprehensive analyses are now emerging on pre-print servers, forming the basis for CMTC's response against LK-99's claims.
LK-99 not a room-temperature superconductor
Conducting materials offer resistance to the flow of current causing a sizeable loss of energy. A superconducting material, however, has a transition temperature below which its internal resistance drops to zero. The South Korean researchers claimed that LK-99 can achieve this at room temperature, making the material potentially useful in a large number of everyday tasks.
Now that such claims have been debunked, perhaps we can redirect global attention to genuine advancements in the realm of science
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