Palladium metallurgy and cold fusion; Some remarks
- Dept. of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Univ. of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX (US)
In this paper the recent confusion surrounding claims for the observation of cold fusion involving palladium electrodes in electrochemical cells containing deuterium might be clarified to some extent if the palladium metallurgy, particularly in the context of fundamental microstructures, are accurately defined. Both the palladium/hydrogen and palladium/deuterium systems have been extensively investigated, and it is asserted more than two decades ago that the palladium/hydrogen system was perhaps the most extensively, experimentally investigated metal/gas system. Ordinary hydrogen absorbed in palladium fused to form helium, while in the 1940's Wilner actually observed the fusion reaction at the center of the current cold fusion controversy: d + d {yields} {sup 3}He + n (where d = {sup 2}H represents a deuteron, and n is a neutron). In the experiment by Wilner, a deuterium-saturated palladium sheet was bombarded with accelerated deuterons. The product neutrons (n) were slowed by paraffin wax and detected by the activation of silver.
- OSTI ID:
- 5636306
- Journal Information:
- Scripta Metallurgica; (United States), Journal Name: Scripta Metallurgica; (United States) Vol. 24:4; ISSN 0036-9748; ISSN SCRMB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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400400* -- Electrochemistry
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700360 -- Fusion Reactions-- (1992-)
CHARGED-PARTICLE REACTIONS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
DEUTERIUM
DEUTERON REACTIONS
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELECTRODES
ELEMENTS
FABRICATION
FLUIDS
GASES
HELIUM
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
METALS
MICROSTRUCTURE
NEUTRON SOURCES
NONMETALS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
PALLADIUM
PARTICLE SOURCES
PLATINUM METALS
RADIATION SOURCES
RARE GASES
STABLE ISOTOPES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS