The dream appear to be over . After a few intense weeks of conjecture and dramatic play , more and more science lab have been able to recreate LK-99 , also fuck as modified lead - apatite . The material was tout as thefirst - ever way - temperature ambient air pressure superconductor , a claim that was met with healthy skepticism and inflammation . After all , sinful claim necessitate extraordinary evidence .
alas , the evidence has failed to materialize . Labs have reproduced the material follow the original paper ’s book of instructions and , innewly uploaded papers , they have not found any grounds of superconductivity . Actually , quite the opposite .
Superconductivity lead off at a vital temperature below which the material can transport electrical energy with no resistance . grant to some of the new datum , the electric resistance of LK-99 increases as you lour the temperature , like some sorting of anti - superconductor .
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“ When we are measuring superconductors , the most obvious property of a superconductor is zero resistance,”Professor Susie Speller , from the Oxford Centre for Applied Superconductivity , told IFLScience in a previousdeep - dive on LK-99 . “ What you look for is for the material to have some resistor . You cool it down , and abruptly it should fall back that resistance , and it should be utterly zero when it ’s in the superconducting state . You should see a very light modification in impedance at the temperature where it starts to superconduct . ”
Other measuring that were expected to be realise were a spectacular work shift in warmth content at the critical temperature and the variety from being non - magnetic to being diamagnetic . The diamagnetism was seen in several videos ( although apaperclaims it is ferromagnetism ) but by itself it is not as interesting . Lots of stuff are diamagnetic without many revolutionary program .
While the development is surely disappointing , material science proceed to make discovery in superconductivity . New stuff are ask to come into the market with revolutionary attribute in the next decennary or so . They still need to be refrigerated , but using fluid nitrogen as a coolant is not too expensive . condense the most abundant gasolene in the air is as gaudy as milk .
“ Whilst being room temperature would be fantastic because there ’s no cooling require , really , to get to the temperatures we require to use the materials we ’ve already go is pretty cheap and pretty easy , ” Professor Speller explained to IFLScience .
There is a lot that scientists do n’t have a go at it about how superconductivity emerges in a material and for this reason , it is hard to encounter a fabric that is superconducting at elbow room temperature and ambient pressure . The work goes on .
