An alternative to the large, high-temperature reactors common in fusion research has been demonstrated by researchers from the University of British Columbia (Canada), TRIUMF (Canada) and U.S. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. A bench-top-sized particle accelerator, composed of a plasma thruster, a vacuum chamber and an electrochemical cell, was effectively operated to explore the effect of electrochemical loading on nuclear fusion reaction rates at room temperature.

The electrochemical loading of deuterium into the palladium target proved effective, as the approach increased deuterium–deuterium fusion rates by an average of 15.2% relative to loading the target palladium using the plasma field alone. While the performance boost is modest and the experiment consumed more energy than it created, it is the first demonstration of deuterium–deuterium nuclear fusion using this combination of techniques.

“Using electrochemistry, we loaded much more deuterium into the metal — like squeezing fuel into a sponge. One volt of electricity achieved what normally requires 800 atmospheres of pressure. While we didn’t achieve net energy gain, the approach boosted fusion rates in a way other researchers can reproduce and build on,” explained the researchers.

The study documenting an increase in fusion reaction rates at room temperature is published in Nature.