As the world is abuzz with the emergence of LK-99, which is claimed to be a superconductor, expectations are high that LK-99 will lead to changes in the materials used to make existing superconductors, even if it is not an actual room-temperature superconductor. In particular, expectations are rising that liquid helium (L-He), an essential material for implementing superconductors, can be replaced with a cheaper material, and the special gas industry is also paying attention.

On July 22, officials from Korea's Quantum Energy Research Institute released LK-99, a material believed to be a room-temperature superconductor, on the preprint site arXiv.

According to the research team, LK-99 exhibits superconducting properties in environments below 400 K (127 °C) at atmospheric pressure.

Superconductors are known as dream materials that can change the future energy environment because they have no power loss and their electrical resistance becomes '0' below a certain temperature.

It is known that it can be used in nuclear fusion power plants, magnetic levitation trains, and ultra-high-speed supercomputers, but the reason it has not yet been put to practical use is because the temperature at which superconductivity occurs is -269℃, which is close to absolute zero (-273.15℃).

The reason why the appearance of LK-99 is receiving worldwide attention, regardless of its success, is because it is a room-temperature superconductor.

Despite the hype, the scientific community is known to be skeptical about whether this is real.

Accordingly, numerous research teams around the world are challenging experiments to reproduce LK-99, and in Korea, the Korean Society of Superconductivity and Low Temperature has formed the 'LK-99 Verification Committee' to begin verification.

Meanwhile, a Chinese university announced that it failed to reproduce LK-99 at room temperature, but showed zero electrical resistance at -163℃.

Although this verification announcement from a Chinese university cannot be judged as factual, it is clear that the superconductivity phenomenon that previously occurred at temperatures close to absolute zero is occurring at higher temperatures. The possibility that this could occur has been presented.

■ Potential for reducing liquid helium (L-He) usage

The essential material for implementing the existing superconductivity phenomenon is liquid helium (L-He).

Helium has the lowest boiling point and is the only element that exists as a liquid without freezing at -269°C. Therefore, liquid helium is absolutely necessary to realize the superconductivity phenomenon.

Liquid helium is used in medical devices that utilize magnetic fields, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and scientific experimental equipment, such as nuclear resonance spectrometry (NMR), high-energy particle accelerators, and heavy ion accelerators.

In the space industry, it is used to cool liquid oxygen and hydrogen, which provide power.

In semiconductors, it is used to cool overheated wafers during semiconductor exposure processes.

In particular, when looking at the main fields of use of liquid helium, MRI equipment is known to be the most used at 21%, followed by scientific equipment at about 15%, and semiconductors at about 11%.

Much of the demand, including MRI, is used to cool superconducting magnets.

This type of liquid helium experiences a shortage of supply every year.

Last year alone, the global distribution network was blocked due to the coronavirus pandemic, making it difficult to supply helium.

This is because helium production is limited to certain regions.

Helium is extracted from natural gas extraction in some areas, including Qatar and the United States. This is because helium is the lightest element and it is very difficult to extract helium from the atmosphere because the helium in the atmosphere escapes into space.

In addition, the technology to maintain extracted helium at ultra-low temperatures is held by only a few specific companies, making distribution difficult.

Accordingly, liquid helium is classified as a rare gas and is traded at a high price.

■ If the superconductivity phenomenon occurs at -163℃, it can be replaced with liquid nitrogen (L-N2).

Even if the room-temperature superconductivity phenomenon does not occur as announced by the Quantum Energy Institute, if the superconductivity phenomenon occurs at -163℃ as announced by the Chinese university, it is expected that liquid nitrogen (L-N2) can be substituted for liquid helium (L-He), which is required for the superconductivity phenomenon.

The boiling point of liquid nitrogen is -196℃. It is the most abundant gas in the air at about 78%, so it can be produced in large quantities domestically through large ASUs, and it is also economical as its price is 1/100 that of liquid helium.

If it is possible to use liquid nitrogen rather than actual room-temperature superconducting materials, it is expected to have a significant impact on actual global industries.

In the case of helium, because its existence itself is rare, considerable costs are currently being spent on developing technologies to recapture or reuse helium after use in medical, scientific, and semiconductor processes.

If this liquid helium can be replaced with nitrogen, it is expected that not only will the purchase cost of liquid helium be reduced by 1/100th, but also the research and development costs for helium reuse will be reduced.

Perhaps we could replace all liquid helium supplied to hospitals with liquid nitrogen.

In addition, it is expected that the time and cost involved in distributing helium can be significantly reduced.

It is also known that the special gas industry is paying attention to LK-99, a room-temperature superconducting material.