Abnormal Thin Film LK99 Result from Korea Excites Chinese Superconductor Researchers

There was a APS presentation by Ulsan Korea University researchers.

It is being reported that numerous comments on the Chinese website Zhihu imply that the University of Ulsan’s data plot is so important that a certain superconductivity expert saw the decisive signal proving LK99’s superconductivity in the graph’s temperature rise curve near 200K.

Nextbigfuture does not understand how a resistance rise implies any superconductivity but it is a thin film LK99-related material. Previously, LK99 thin film analysis by the original Korea researchers had found superconducting levels of resistance with chemically vapor deposited thin film.

Abstract: V00.00143 : Abnormal resistance jump in Pb-Cu-P-O thin film

Pb10-x Cux (PO4)6 O (LK-99), a potential room-temperature superconductor, has attracted the global attention since its paper was published on arXiv . Many research teams are attempting to reproduce and verify LK-99, but its superconductivity remains unconfirmed. The chemical formula of LK-99 is Pb10-x Cux (PO4)6 O, which is a hexagonal structure (P63/m, 176) with Cu2+ ions substituting for Pb2+ ions at the 2nd position by approximately 1/4 in pure lead-phosphate (Pb10(PO4)6O). For LK-99 thin film growth via molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), we selected Si (111) and Al2O3 substrates with mismatches of about 2%. The various growth temperatures were set after preheating at 600 ℃, and we individually adjusted the Pb and Cu ratio; x = 0.8 ~ 5. The growth process was monitored using reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED). To determine the chemical composition of the sample, we analyzed it using an Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS). We observed a resistance increase when it is exposed to air after growth. Interestingly, the resistance was decreased in PPMS system under vacuum (1 X 10^-2 Torr). Also we observed abnormal jump in temperature dependent resistance. In this talk, we will present on the structures, compositions, and unique transport properties of Pb-Cu-P-O compound in detail.

1 thought on “Abnormal Thin Film LK99 Result from Korea Excites Chinese Superconductor Researchers”

  1. I would think that maybe, if the superconductivity was just an artifact, you wouldn’t see a rise in resistance at your temperatures?

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