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0 pointscyberax2y ago0 comments

I'm not a material scientist, but I've spoken with folks who do advanced vapor deposition and thin-film synthesis for high-temperature superconductors (the ones that work at liquid-nitrogen temperature).

It's basically witchcraft-adjacent, with so many variables that getting everything right is an art. That's why we're only now getting practical high-TC superconducting tape, even though the original materials were discovered in 80-s.

The best way right now would be for the Korean team to send their sample to a reputable lab for testing. Once its properties are verified, labs can start deconstructing the process.

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xorbax2y ago

You're producing a nanoscale material through macroscale processes

It's not quite like asking somebody with a hammer and chisel to produce a microchip, but depending on how many processes and sensitive variables affect your chemical processes, it ain't far off.

Maybes it's cooling rate. Maybe it's venting phosphorous gas. Maybe it's introducing ambient air. Maybe oxygen would be better. Maybe it should be faster. Maybe it should be introduced slower with faster cooling. Or slower cooling. Maybe the oven heats funny and placement matters given the distribution and the heating is the key.

Experimental chemistry can be a real pain, and it takes quite a lot to figure out what you've got.

floxy2y ago

Here is the exact ratio of carbon to hydrogen to oxygen to phosphorus to nitrogen. Mix them together and bake to get DNA.

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