Superconductors - Potential Massive Scientific Breakthrough

If new paper holds up then it will have major consequences.

On the day that the American public hear that UAPs are real, aliens have been harming humans and their technology is being reverse-engineered, in a congressional hearing, Korean scientists have made a major announcement about superconductors.

The researchers claim that they’ve developed a new material, called LK-99, that conducts electricity perfectly at room temperature and pressure - what is known as a superconductor. They’ve even posted a video (due to something called the Meissner effect, when a superconductor is placed on a magnet it levitates).

However, as you can see, the superconductor doesn’t fully levitate which has led to some scepticism.

But why all the fuss?

Superconductors are fantastic because electricity can pass through them without any resistance. This means no energy is wasted as heat, which could make everything from laptops to electricity grids far more efficient.

But there’s a catch: so far, we’ve only been able to make them work under extreme conditions such as frigid temperatures or super high pressures, which have made them costly and challenging to use.

If the development of room-temperature superconductors becomes a reality, it could revolutionize various fields and lead to the creation of:

• Highly Efficient Power Grids: Superconductors could allow for lossless power transmission, dramatically increasing the efficiency of electrical grids;

• Next-Gen Medical Devices: MRI machines and other medical devices could become much more effective and compact with the use of room-temperature superconductors;

• High-Speed Maglev Trains: Superconducting magnets could be used to levitate and propel trains, allowing for ultra-fast, frictionless travel;

• Advanced Electronic Devices: Superconductors could be used in various components of electronic devices, making them faster, more energy-efficient, and less prone to overheating;

• Improved Renewable Energy Storage: Superconductors could enable highly efficient energy storage systems, important for managing the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources like wind and solar;

• More Accessible Quantum Computers: Current quantum computers require extreme cooling, but room-temperature superconductors could make quantum computing more practical and accessible;

• Highly Sensitive Sensors: Superconductors could allow for the development of highly sensitive detectors and sensors, with applications ranging from astronomical research to security systems;

• More Efficient Electric Vehicles: Superconductors could lead to more efficient motors and batteries, greatly enhancing the range and efficiency of electric vehicles;

• Faster, Higher-Capacity Internet: Superconductors could dramatically increase the speed and capacity of data transmission, making internet connections much faster;

• Advanced Spacecraft Propulsion: Some theoretical spacecraft propulsion methods, such as ion drives, could be improved with superconductors, potentially opening up deeper space exploration;

And of course…hoverboards!

In their paper, The First Room-Temperature Ambient-Pressure Superconductor, the researchers say they’ve mixed up a concoction of lead, oxygen, sulphur and phosphorous, heated it up and created LK-99, a dark grey solid that acts as a superconductor even at room temperature and pressure.

The compound also relies on Lanarkite, a crystal structure mainly found in Scotland.

Alchemy!

But there are reasons to be sceptical. Similar claims have been made in the past, which have ended up being withdrawn. However, this time, a lot of scientists are struggling to find faults in the claims...so far.

The authors seem to be confident because they have published two papers at the same time: one with all six authors and the other with only three. A maximum of three people can share a Nobel prize. Commiserations to the three that pulled the short straws.

Huge if correct but only time will tell if this is a once in a generation discovery or another fake. But it’s been interesting learning about superconductors and their potential, so every cloud!