LK-99 superconductor officially ‘debunked’ by Chinese scientists

The phenomenon of superconductivity was discovered more than a century ago, but until now scientists have not found suitable formats to apply to superconductor science. In a new paper published in the scientific journal Matter, a group of researchers analyzed the fidelity of the LK-99 superconductor, which gained success online and was ‘unmasked’ shortly afterwards.

A few months ago, A group of scientists from South Korea announced the superconductivity of LK-99 at room temperature; So the topic went viral overnight. Its possible impact on the lives of researchers and ordinary people excited everyone who read about this possibility, but the reality of the material gradually began to be denied.

According to a new study by scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), New solid evidence shows that LK-99 is not a superconductor of any kind, so the material cannot react with superconductivity at ambient pressure. Luo Jianlin, study leader and professor at the CAS Institute of Physics, explains: so-called superconductor built with impurities that provide superconducting properties.

“The wave of misleading information about LK-99 has necessitated urgent clarification about its superconductivity. [Isto] It strongly suggests that the superconductivity-like behavior in LK-99 reported by Lee is due to the structural phase transition of the Cu2S impurity,” the researchers explain in the study.

LK-99 superconductor ‘unmasked’

After peer review, Chinese scientists were able to prove that LK-99 cannot superconduct at room temperature; The South Koreans had published two non-peer-reviewed papers touting the efficiency of superconductivity. The material consisting of copper, lead, phosphorus and oxygen is not actually alive; Some of the superconducting properties were due to impurities.

The CAS team had already published three papers commenting on the inefficiency of the superconductor; In the new peer-reviewed study they claim: superconductivity is attributable to two copper sulfide impurities (I and Cu2S) and not to the material itself. In other words, superconductivity is possible due to the structural transition of copper sulfide and not due to the other elements of LK-99.

“We suggest that the pseudo-superconducting behavior in LK-99 is most likely due to the decrease in resistance caused by the first-order structural phase transition of Cu2S passing through the high-temperature hexagonal lattice phase at approximately 112 °C. The scientists concluded in the study that “the effect of the monoclinic structure at low temperature There was.

Did you like the content? Stay up to date with the latest physics news at TecMundo. If you want, find out what happens when you touch a quantum superfluid.