Photo: liuzishan via Freepik | Edited
Room-temperature superconductivity has been the self-driving car of physics, with scientists predicting that a breakthrough was five years away for the past 50 years. Still, a new discovery could be the real deal, changing the world as we know it.
Humankind may be on the verge of achieving one of its most important breakthroughs since the discovery of atomic energy. A team of scientists at the Quantum Energy Research Center in Seoul claim they discovered a material that offers superconductivity characteristics at ambient temperature and pressure. Not only that, but the material is easy to produce, which means that we can see the theory verified (or rejected) within a very short time.
The new material is called LK-99 and has a modified-lead apatite crystal structure allowing it to exhibit superconductivity at room temperature (actually, a little higher than that, at 127 degrees Celsius/261 degrees Fahrenheit) and atmospheric pressure. Superconductivity is a state of matter when electrical resistance drops to zero, allowing the current to flow freely without losses.
Superconductivity usually occurs at extremely low temperatures, so they are not widely used. Still, they are crucial in fields such as quantum computing and nuclear fusion reactors. Scientists have been working on superconductors for over 100 years, and a breakthrough seemed some "five years away" for the past 50 years. This is similar to how vehicle autonomy was believed to be achieved "in a couple of years" for the past 10 years.
Although the scientific world has witnessed several cases where superconducting was supposedly achieved, the papers had to be withdrawn because the assumptions proved false. This time it appears that the Korean researchers have found the holy grail, though. Based on their research, the LK-99 material can be prepared in about 34 hours with extremely basic lab equipment. This means that the results could be replicated (or not) within weeks, if not days.
The Quantum Energy Research Center team in Seoul started working on the material in 2018 when it confirmed the superconducting properties of the material. The researchers explain room temperature superconductivity by the volume contraction resulting from an insulator-metal transition achieved by substituting lead with copper.
Since 2021, they have been busy preparing patents while trying to develop a deposition technique of LK99. They scored one patent in 2018 for "ceramic composite with low-resistance including superconductors." More recent research, "Room-temperature and atmospheric-pressure superconducting ceramic compound and preparation method therefore," is patent pending.
The discovery could have profound implications for many technologies. Current fusion reactors use superconductors cooled with liquid nitrogen or helium, creating a considerable temperature gradient. Ambient temperature superconductors would enable whole new reactor designs. The new material could also allow a quantum computer to sit on your desk.
There is also a wide range of applications where superconductors were not practical before. The super-efficient electric grid is the most underrated. Still, a huge boon considering that more than 100 billion kWh of electricity is wasted on transmission losses each year in the US alone. From computer chips that don't need cooling fans thanks to zero resistive losses to MagLev trains, the future will look a lot different from what we know today and probably close to what we imagined the future 50 years ago. And most importantly, it could make batteries obsolete, as superconductors are best at storing electricity.
The new material is called LK-99 and has a modified-lead apatite crystal structure allowing it to exhibit superconductivity at room temperature (actually, a little higher than that, at 127 degrees Celsius/261 degrees Fahrenheit) and atmospheric pressure. Superconductivity is a state of matter when electrical resistance drops to zero, allowing the current to flow freely without losses.
Superconductivity usually occurs at extremely low temperatures, so they are not widely used. Still, they are crucial in fields such as quantum computing and nuclear fusion reactors. Scientists have been working on superconductors for over 100 years, and a breakthrough seemed some "five years away" for the past 50 years. This is similar to how vehicle autonomy was believed to be achieved "in a couple of years" for the past 10 years.
Although the scientific world has witnessed several cases where superconducting was supposedly achieved, the papers had to be withdrawn because the assumptions proved false. This time it appears that the Korean researchers have found the holy grail, though. Based on their research, the LK-99 material can be prepared in about 34 hours with extremely basic lab equipment. This means that the results could be replicated (or not) within weeks, if not days.
The Quantum Energy Research Center team in Seoul started working on the material in 2018 when it confirmed the superconducting properties of the material. The researchers explain room temperature superconductivity by the volume contraction resulting from an insulator-metal transition achieved by substituting lead with copper.
Since 2021, they have been busy preparing patents while trying to develop a deposition technique of LK99. They scored one patent in 2018 for "ceramic composite with low-resistance including superconductors." More recent research, "Room-temperature and atmospheric-pressure superconducting ceramic compound and preparation method therefore," is patent pending.
The discovery could have profound implications for many technologies. Current fusion reactors use superconductors cooled with liquid nitrogen or helium, creating a considerable temperature gradient. Ambient temperature superconductors would enable whole new reactor designs. The new material could also allow a quantum computer to sit on your desk.
There is also a wide range of applications where superconductors were not practical before. The super-efficient electric grid is the most underrated. Still, a huge boon considering that more than 100 billion kWh of electricity is wasted on transmission losses each year in the US alone. From computer chips that don't need cooling fans thanks to zero resistive losses to MagLev trains, the future will look a lot different from what we know today and probably close to what we imagined the future 50 years ago. And most importantly, it could make batteries obsolete, as superconductors are best at storing electricity.
Here is a cool video of it working: pic.twitter.com/cvdCe47UDv
— Alex Kaplan (@alexkaplan0) July 26, 2023
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