Korean scientists behind bogus superconductor declare success again

 
A group of Korean scientists behind a viral superconductor claim that took the social media and stock market by a wild, yet short-lived, storm last year have once again come up with a new compound that they insist is the world’s first room-temperature, ambient-pressure superconductor.
 
The claims were put forward by Kim Hyun-tak, a physics professor at the College of William and Mary, during a presentation on Monday at the American Physical Society meeting held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was largely met by skepticism from peer scientists online.
 
Kim, along with four co-authors including Lee Suk-bae, CEO of Quantum Energy Research Centre (QERC) — who has been a central figure in the superconductor claim — argued that they synthesized a new material, dubbed PCPOSOS, which exhibits superconducting behavior at room temperature and atmospheric pressure.
 
An actual sample was not presented by Kim during the meeting.
 
Kim explained that PCPOSOS displayed partial levitation when placed on a magnet, one of the prominent characteristics of superconductivity, as well as zero resistance, and further claimed that the results have been replicated by other research teams.
 
Kim added that his team filed a manuscript explaining how the material has been synthesized to demonstrate the formula in detail.
 
However, some fellow scientists were quick to shoot down the claim on social media, saying that the latest findings remained largely similar to the previously debunked claim last year and that data provided by the team lacks scientific evidence of actual superconductivity.
 
The debut of PCPOSOS follows the previous study done by the group last summer that LK-99, a compound of lead, copper, phosphorous and oxygen, exhibited superconductivity.  
 
The claims drove quite a buzz in the academic circle and online space, even sending some superconductor-related stocks soaring in the market, but were soon debunked by global scientists and research institutes.  
 
Yet Korean investors flocked to pick up superconductor-related stocks on the market ahead of Kim’s presentation, driving the share price of Shinsung Delta Tech up to 137,900 won ($104) mid-trading on Monday, up 12.11 percent from the previous trading day, before it closed at 123,300 won.
 
 
Kosdaq-listed Shinsung Delta Tech has been considered a superconductor-themed stock along with Power Logics as the companies have invested in a venture company that holds a stake in QERC.
 
Shinsung Delta Tech is trading at 120,200 won as of 9:40 a.m. on Tuesday, down 2.51 percent from the previous trading day’s closing price.
 
Room-temperature, ambient-pressure superconductor has long been a holy grail in science and technology circles, as an electric current could theoretically pass through it without losing energy. If created, it could bring fundamental changes to every aspect of electricity, from transportation to power generation, and significantly boost its efficiency.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [[email protected]]