Neutron and tritium evidence in the electrolytic reduction of deuterium on palladium electrodes
- Univ. La Sapienza, Dipt. di Chimica, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma (IT)
- Inst. Superiore di Sanita, Lab. di Fisica, Viale Regina Margherita 299, 00161 Roma (IT)
This paper reports on a Fleischmann and Pons type experiment that was carried out for {approx}3 months in a ten-cell electrochemical system. All the cells were connected in series, and electrolysis was performed in galvanostatic mode at a maximum current of 2.5 A, corresponding on the average to 500 mA/cm{sup 2}. In this experiment, all cathodes were made of palladium, and the anodes were made of platinum. In nine cells out of ten, the cathodes were shaped into parallelepipeds (25 {times} 5 {times} 5 mm{sup 3}) by high-vacuum sintering according to a previously reported procedure. The starting material for all these electrodes was palladium sponge powder. The tenth cathode was made of 32 short 0.5-mm-diam palladium wires, gold welded together at one end. A similar concentration of screw dislocations was produced in each wire. Three different groups of sintered cathodes were used in the experiment, corresponding to three different sintering procedures. Nine cells contained 0.2 M LiOD in D{sub 2}O as electrolyte. The tenth cell, containing a sintered cathode, was in 0.2 M LiOH in H{sub 2}O. Measurements of neutrons, tritium in the solution and in the recombined gases, gamma rays, and electrode temperature were carried out. When the current density reached the highest values, a marked increase of the neutron detector count rate with respect to the background level (2 count/h) was observed. The emissions occurred in bursts. This behavior was observed for {approx}10 days but only when the current density was set at {gt}320 mA/cm{sup 2}. In the first part of that period, an excess of tritium with respect to the expected value calculated for the electrolytic enrichment was found in three cells out of nine (one of the cells was in light water).
- OSTI ID:
- 5692441
- Journal Information:
- Fusion Technology; (United States), Vol. 21:1; ISSN 0748-1896
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
DEUTERIUM
ELECTROLYSIS
NEUTRONS
YIELDS
PALLADIUM
TRITIUM
CATHODES
ELECTRODES
ELECTROLYTES
GAMMA RADIATION
GOLD
HEAVY WATER
LITHIUM HYDROXIDES
RECOMBINATION
REDUCTION
SCREW DISLOCATIONS
SINTERING
WATER
WIRES
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
BARYONS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CRYSTAL DEFECTS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
DISLOCATIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
FABRICATION
FERMIONS
HADRONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
HYDROXIDES
IONIZING RADIATIONS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
LINE DEFECTS
LITHIUM COMPOUNDS
LYSIS
METALS
NUCLEI
NUCLEONS
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLATINUM METALS
RADIATIONS
RADIOISOTOPES
STABLE ISOTOPES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
663440* - D-
T-
& He-induced Reactions & Scattering- (1992-)
400400 - Electrochemistry