The preparation of palladium for cold fusion experiments

Techniques have been established to prepare palladium specimens for cold fusion experiments using an ultra-high-vacuum, allmetal, high-temperature furnace to melt palladium metal in high purity alumina molds having a test tube shape. To date 6-mm and 15-mm cylinders have been fabricated, the latter being used to fabricate a sphere 12.5-mm in diameter. Techniques and facilities used for palladium-hydrogen isotope pressure-volume-temperature measurements^1–4 have been used to anneal these palladium specimens after machining and, in some cases, to charge these specimens with deuterium to PdD_0.63 stoichiometry prior to their use in electrochemical cells. The modeling of palladium-hydrogen isotope pressure-composition-temperature curves is described wherein existing data^5,6 is used to derive models that accurately describe the existing data and that extrapolate to high compositions. Experiments for reacting⁶LiD with Pd rods at 700°C to 800°C, in an attempt to precharge⁶Li into the Pd rods, are being prepared.Operated for the U.S. Department of Energy by Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. Under Contract no. DE-AC05-84OR21400.