Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Desktop fusion with pyroelectric crystals

Polverone - 1-5-2005 at 21:28

http://www.aip.org/pnu/2005/split/729-1.html

I've seen a number of news reports since this was first announced, but I don't have electronic access to Nature. Can anyone retrieve the full article? From the description, it seems that this could be an easy-to-construct, amateur-accessible neutron source, even simpler than a Farnsworth fusor.

Marvin - 1-5-2005 at 23:41

A fusor will produce of the order of a million neutrons a second, drift tube accelerator (like in scientific american) will produce about 100x that for the same amount of power - all without tritium.

From what Ive read the output of the pyroelectric system is of the order of a few hundred neutrons a second and functions exactly the same way (high voltage acceleration of deuterons), its just getting the high voltage from a different source. It is a neet trick but this is barely detectable with good equipment and certainly not useful as a source.

Ish Bob - 2-5-2005 at 12:30

I have a copy of an article about the same thing. I'll try to scan it later, it says its "a crystal of Lithium tantalate in deuterium gas, cooled it to -30C." It says it was heated to about 7C over 3.5 min. The nuclei of deuterium were accelerated to over 100KiloeV.

FrankRizzo - 2-5-2005 at 12:42

Here's a copy of the Nature article.

Attachment: nature03575.pdf (368kB)
This file has been downloaded 861 times

Mr. Wizard - 2-5-2005 at 17:34

This is simply amazing! Imagine talking about fusion powered by a simple heat source that could powered by a solar collector. How long before one of us has some Lithium Tantalate or other exotic crystals? :)

neutrino - 2-5-2005 at 18:44

I get the feeling it won’t be very long… Depending on the difficulty of synthesis, of course. Now, where does one get tantalate compounds?

cyclonite4 - 2-5-2005 at 19:00

You could start by getting tantalum out of capacitors?

12AX7 - 2-5-2005 at 20:58

Then I'm guessing you'd want to burn it to tantalum oxide (since it's gonna be inert to most acids like the rest of those metals), carefully since it's expensive, and fuse it with lithium oxide in a graphite crucible (unless the carbon reacts, in which case molybdenum would probably work). Induction heating and argon or vacuum for sure. Oh, and a crystal-pulling servo, and a seed.

Or find a source and buy it... :P

Tim

Twospoons - 3-5-2005 at 19:14

Like from these guys?

cyclonite4 - 3-5-2005 at 20:38

Quote:
Originally posted by 12AX7
Then I'm guessing you'd want to burn it to tantalum oxide (since it's gonna be inert to most acids like the rest of those metals), carefully since it's expensive, and fuse it with lithium oxide in a graphite crucible (unless the carbon reacts, in which case molybdenum would probably work). Induction heating and argon or vacuum for sure. Oh, and a crystal-pulling servo, and a seed.

Or find a source and buy it... :P

Tim


Or you could take advantage of its reaction with hot, concentrated hydroxides. See here: http://www.b-jenterprises.com/prod_tantalum_corrosion.htm. And here: http://www.scientific.net/default.cfm?pdf=1&cat=19&p...
This way we can make tantalates. I doubt buying it is fair on the wallet.

12AX7 - 3-5-2005 at 20:49

Oh, so it can be produced directly? I was under the impression most of the refractory-ates need to be fused...(strontium titanate dielectric ceramic, for instance). Certainly though, you'll need to fuse it and grow crystals either way, no small task!

Tim

Twospoons - 4-5-2005 at 00:05

The site I linked to above quotes the melt point as 1600C. Not a simple task, but hydrogen flame fusion (melting, not nuclear!) may work.

Marvin - 4-5-2005 at 00:52

Of course 100kv is not a difficult job for static electricity either, but fusion using by jumping around in nylon clothing is so much less likley to get published.

Whimshurst machine anyone?
Van Der Graaf?