A preprint of the paper published on the arXiv website by a group of scientists from Beijing and Illinois, USA, describes an attempt to reproduce the conditions of the “Rochester experiment” and achieve “chamber” superconductivity. Chinese and American researchers synthesized the required compound lutetium (Lu4H23) and tried to turn it into a superconducting state. However, its results did not meet previous expectations.

The material became superconducting, but at -203 °C, not 21 °C, as the Rochester scientists had previously claimed. In addition, the required pressure was twice as high – 218 GPa instead of 1 GPa (2 million atmospheres instead of 10,000 atmospheres).

Therefore, the search for superconductivity at room temperature remains unclear, despite intense research efforts by scientists from all over the world.

A prominent Chinese physicist commented on the new paper at a congressional hearing on Friday:

In a preprint of a paper describing the experiment in the journal Nature, Chinese and American researchers clearly failed to replicate the previously announced results, even remotely. If they did, it would be a revolution.

Why is it so important to achieve superconductivity at room temperature?

Despite the lack of success in this particular experiment, room temperature superconductivity would be a revolutionary discovery. It has the potential to revolutionize transportation, power generation and distribution, thermonuclear reaction control, medicine and more.

The search for superconductivity at room temperature continues, and scientists continue to explore different compounds and conditions. While this particular experiment was a failure, it is important to note that individual experiments provided hope and contributed to progress towards this revolutionary discovery.