On Jul 21, 2007, at 2:47 PM, Michel Jullian wrote:
I don't question the effect, but I suspect it is not due to the
_static_ externally imposed electric field, which even if a few pA
or even nA flow through the plastic walls will remain zero
internally as you will certainly agree.
Yes, the total super-positioned E field nets to about zero, but the
way that happens is by a change in charge distribution. That change
in charge distribution has effects. The electron fugacity in the
cathode builds. Looking at Fig. 3 in
http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/Szpak.pdf
The E field is neutralized by the distribution of charges in the
electrolyte changing, and by an increase in the electron charge
density in the cathode. In the plastic the charge distribution
changes by displacement of the nuclei from the atomic centers of
charge. The increase in negative ion charges in the electrolyte near
the plastic is offset by an increase in positive ion charges near the
cathode (ion charge balances to zero in the electrolyte).
We have a voltage divider. Initially most of the voltage drop is
through the plastic. Beyond the plastic most of the voltage drop is
through the 2 molecule thick interface. However, as electrolysis
proceeds and loading reaches its peak, the conductivity of the top
layer of the electrolyte diminishes. Much of the voltage drop starts
to occur right in the cathode surface. At this time the fugacity of
the electrons builds right there - in the cathode surface, but not
very deep, provided the material is tough enough to sustain the
voltage drop without diffusion losses. This place of high electron
fugacity, high deuteron fugacity, low deuteron mobility, low
conductivity, is the active zone for fusion. It takes a while to
build in some electrode materials and is never achieved at all in many.
A gas regime high electron fugacity cell should alleviate many of
these problems and hopefully produce more consistent and possibly
useful results.
It is interesting that a micro-engineered-cathode might also work.
The idea would be to try to prevent bad cathode material from ruining
good material results. The idea would be to make a waffle iron like
grid of co-deposited Pd-D squares resting on resistor squares mounted
on a conductive base and electrically separated by insulating
material. The purpose of the resistors is to prevent bad cells from
shorting out all the current to the good cells.
I don't know, maybe some parasitic capacitive coupling of an AC
signal, possibly the ripple on top of the constant HV.
There have been various attempts, especially in the early 90's, to
look at the effect of a small voltage AC signal of various
frequencies superimposed on the DC electrolysis signal. Like all
other attempts, none had reproducible results as far as I know, while
Mosier-Boss and Gordon continue to make progress with their approach.
Horace Heffner
http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/
