Search for protons from the 2H(d,p)3H reaction in an electrolytic cell with Pd-Pt electrodes

The production of protons from the 2H(d,p)3H reaction was investigated using an electrolytic cell and a proportional counter. The cathode, consisting of a 30.5-mg/cm2-thick Pd foil, separated the gas in the counter from the electrolyte (0.1M LiOD in D2O). The efficiency for proton detection was 28%. The electrolytic cell was operated with current densities up to 650 mA/cm2. Several runs with the current switched on and off and with different Pd foils have been performed with the longest run lasting more than 10 days. No difference in the count rate was observed when the electrolytic cell was on or off. From the high-energy part of the particle spectrum we obtain an upper limit for the proton production from the fusion reaction 2H(d,p)3H of 4x10-23 fusion/(dd pair/sec)