TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese scientists are calling for further evidence and verification after South Korean researchers claimed to have discovered a superconductor that can work at room temperature — a major breakthrough should it be proven true.

Recently, two papers authored by three South Korean scientists and published on the preprint server arXiv.org have sparked excitement. In the papers, they said they have succeeded in synthesizing a room-temperature ambient-pressure superconductor, called LK-99, a compound of copper, lead, phosphorous, and oxygen.

The discovery means the material can conduct electricity under everyday conditions. The superconductors we use today require extreme temperatures and pressure, hence their limits.

The revelation has been met with caution from experts in the field.

If proven, the technique has the potential to drive revolutionary transformations of many technologies, including ones used to reduce the amount of energy lost in transmission, and levitate trains, said Yang Hung-duen (楊弘敦), a physics professor at National Sun Yat-sen University. “The achievement can earn them a Nobel Prize,” Yang said.

Huang Chien-lung (黃建龍), an assistant professor at National Cheng Kung University, said the discovery means the term “heat dissipation” will be a thing of the past. This also benefits the cause of energy sustainability, he said.

Scientists worldwide have been spurred to replicate how the Korean team managed to create the innovative superconductor, including those from Taiwan.

Experiments have generated materials that carry some hallmarks of room-temperature superconductivity, said Wang Li-min (王立民), a physics professor at National Taiwan University. However, he added that further verification is needed to confirm the new compound’s zero electrical resistance and ability to expel magnetic fields, wrote Liberty Times.