Nature, the international scientific journal, has reported that South Korean Quantum Energy Institute’s claim about the material ‘LK-99′ as a superconductor that works as room-temperature and ambient-pressure is not substantiated based on foreign verification papers and research conducted so far.
On the 16th (local time), Nature’s online edition published an article titled ‘LK-99 isn’t a superconductor — how science sleuths solved the mystery.’ The article states, “Researchers seem to have solved the puzzle of LK-99. Scientific detective work has unearthed evidence that the material is not a superconductor, and clarified its actual properties.” It explains that impurities in LK-99, particularly copper sulfide, caused a significant drop in electrical resistance similar to the characteristics of a superconductor and partial levitation on a magnet’s surface, leading to the mistaken belief that it is a superconductor.
Nature mentioned in the article, “Research teams from China, India, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries have examined whether LK-99 is a superconductor but have shown skeptical reactions.” In fact, the scientific community around the world has attempted to recreate LK-99, but none have been able to successfully reproduce LK-99 as a superconductor.
Nature pointed out that if LK-99 were a superconductor, it should be able to levitate on a magnet, move freely, and maintain the same effect even when flipped upside down. However, among the videos claiming successful reproduction of LK-99, none show such effects. Nature argued that for the Quantum Energy Institute to convince the global scientific community, they need to publicly disclose the sample and reproduce the superconducting phenomenon.
In particular, scholars pointed out that the Quantum Energy Institute stated in their paper that the resistance of LK-99 drops rapidly at a temperature of 104.8 degrees Celsius, which coincides with the temperature at which copper sulfide, an impurity in LK-99, exhibits insulating effects. The Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Germany, which announced a paper on the successful creation of an LK-99 crystal without impurities on the 14th, commented, “LK-99, separated from impurities, had too high resistance to conduct standard conductivity tests, indicating that it is not a superconductor.”
Nature also noted that they requested statements from the research team, including Lee Seok-bae, the head of the Quantum Energy Institute, regarding the current situation, but did not receive any response.
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