SEARCH FOR THE PROPOSED COLD FUSION OF D IN Pd

A direct, systematic, and well-controlled investigation of D2O-Pd electrolytic cells reveals neither neutrons at a rate exceeding 103 s −1 nor excess heat greater than 3% of the total input power generated during the electrolytic process in contrast to the cold fusion recently reported. No difference in the thermal energy outputs between two identical D2O-Pd and H2O-Pd cells greater than 1.5% (or 5%) of the input at 0.5 W (or 2.4 W) was detected. The negative results cannot be attributed to electrolysis-time (0–480 hours), Pd-electrode (cold drawn or cast) size (0.1–0.6 cm diameter × 3–5 cm), power input (0.1–8.5 W), electrolytes used (LiOH, LiCl, and DCl), or failure to deuterize Pd (PdDx with x≤0.6) within the limits cited in the parentheses. If the proposed cold fusion exists, it has to be induced only under some subtle and not-yet-determined conditions.