Superconductor replication attempts fail across three continents, researchers report

Three independent research groups, based in North America, Europe, and East Asia, each failed to replicate a claimed room-temperature superconductor after extensive attempts, according to preprints published this week.

The three teams conducted a combined total of more than forty synthesis attempts, using both the procedure described in the original paper and several variations. In every case, the compound behaved as a semiconductor or poor conductor. No drop in resistance to zero was observed, and no Meissner effect was detected.

Compositional analysis of the samples produced by the replication teams revealed significant deviations from the material described in the original paper. The researchers concluded that the samples they synthesized differed compositionally from what the original team claimed to have produced, raising questions about whether the original synthesis was either poorly documented or not reproducible from the published method.

The findings drew comparison to the rapid collapse of LK-99, a Korean room-temperature superconductor announced in 2023 that generated substantial scientific interest before replication attempts consistently failed within weeks of the initial announcement. The pattern across the two cases was described by several researchers as similar: rapid independent assessment finding the effect absent and the synthesis problematic.

The original research team had not formally responded to the replication failures as of the time of publication.