The scientific community is now skeptical about the material known as LK-99, which was believed to be a high-temperature superconductor. A group of researchers from South Korea expressed their enthusiasm for the subject, generating excitement. They announced that this material could transport electricity without any hindrance under ambient conditions, but without any official endorsement. However, South Korean and independent researchers conducted their own investigation to verify their claims and published a preprint paper with their results, which are available for everyone to read for free. LK-99’s composition seems to be straightforward. It is also available with synthesis instructions. This allows scientists outside of academia to test the material. Development is also promising. However, there is also a high level of speculation and rumors. South Korea’s group explained their claims, publishing their results as a preprint paper. However, it is not meaningful to discuss these preprint papers without a response or reaction from a journal. This issue has been addressed. To verify their claims, scientists worldwide (including India) could have examined the subject through their laboratories, accompanied by a more rigorous organic peer-review process. Soon, it became apparent that LK-99 may not be a superconductor for two main reasons. Firstly, in order for the superconductor to serve as a superconducting agent in a weak magnetic field, it must be cooled. It is cooled below the transition temperature, and the field is removed from below it. Thus, a magnet in close proximity to the superconductor is moved away during the transition. South Korea’s group shared a video claiming LK-99 was a half-turn magnet. However, independent researchers understood that the material was actually an insulator, which can be transformed into impure magnetism. This is why half-turns are seen in the video. Secondly, South Koreans claimed that LK-99’s electrical resistance decreased significantly at approximately 104 degrees Celsius. This indicates a considerable reduction in superconductivity, pointing towards a possibility. However, scientists discovered that if copper sulfide is present as an impurity in the material, this degradation is observed. At that temperature, copper sulfide passes through a phasic transition, affecting or destroying resistance. The responsibility to prove this falls on South Korea’s team. However, due to the online dissemination of information and data, an uncommon situation has emerged: near-real-time and crowd-sourced documentation, less of a competition, and more of a collaboration and conclusion. Participation in open science may lead to further benefits for science. But if there is a fundamental assumption, its transformation will be misguided and confusing. The LK-99 episode indicates that it is not appropriate to impede the first with the second when it comes to reactions.
Is LK-99 Really a Superconductor? Scientists Question its Properties
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