Scientific Reports (Sep 2024)

Experimental and theoretical validation for transmutation of palladium at electrochemical interfaces

  • Trilochan Gadly,
  • Suhas Phapale,
  • Sunita Gamre,
  • Pankaj Jain,
  • Harishyam Kumar,
  • Sanjeev Kumar Poudel,
  • Shraddha Desai,
  • Arup Kumar Pathak,
  • Ashutosh Srivastava,
  • Amit Kumar,
  • Rupali Pal,
  • Pallavi Chandwadkar,
  • Celin Acharya,
  • A. K. Bakshi,
  • Salil Varma,
  • Birija S. Patro,
  • Dibakar Goswami

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-70597-y
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 1
pp. 1 – 12

Abstract

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Abstract Electrolysis of D2O may be used as a portable neutron source with numerous applications without the complexity of huge reactor operations. Herein, we report reproducible fast neutron generation by electrolysis of D2O using palladium cathode and platinum anode, which was detected with diamond detector, gas filled 3He detectors after thermalisation with high density polythene, as well as novel epoxy resin and CR-39 detectors. Notably, a highly reproducible neutron generation at electrochemical surfaces of palladium electrode was observed and signature transmutation via Pd (d, n) Ag was corroborated. This was further explained using a theoretical model based on second order quantum perturbation theory.