Design considerations for palladium electrodes as suggested by a deuteron cluster model for cold nuclear fusion

Abstract

According to our hypothetical model, the essential element for the occurrence of cold nuclear fusion within palladium is the formation of deuteron clusters within the palladium electrodes. There are several factors which can affect the size, density, and rate of cluster formation. These factors are (1) the presence of diffusion barriers at all upstream palladium surfaces that are not immersed in the electrolyte, and which also are not exposed to a sufficiently large electric field to prevent deuteron diffusion from the electrode, (2) the direction and magnitude of the electric field relative to the crystalline lattice, (3) local crystalline temperature excursions that are associated with the fusion events, and (4) the various deuterium diffusion mechanisms within the crystal which are associated with thermal gradients, deuterium concentration gradients, and externally-generated potential field gradients that can enhance interstitial quantum mechanical tunneling along the direction of the associated internal electric field.