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Physics

Why it's so hard to tell if LK-99 is a room-temperature superconductor

Researchers have been trying to determine if a material called LK-99 really is a superconductor at room temperature and pressure. Here's what is making it so difficult

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

4 August 2023

LK-99's creators claim it is a superconductor at room temperature and pressure

LK-99’s creators claim it is a superconductor at room temperature and pressure

Rokas Tenys/Alamy

Recent claims that a material called LK-99 conducts electricity perfectly at room temperature and pressure have kicked off an incredible flurry of experimental activity. There are several ways to test if something is such a superconductor, however the flurry has yet to find much scientific consensus. Creating pure samples of LK-99 in the lab and determining their quality is also proving difficult.  

Unlike conventional conductors such as metal wires, superconductors allow electricity to pass through them without…

Article amended on 7 August 2023

We have corrected the conditions under which signs of zero resistivity have been found.

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