Scientists at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have developed a method to increase fusion reaction rates at room temperature. Using a custom-built, bench-top reactor, the team demonstrated that adding an electrochemical process to load deuterium fuel into a metal target increased fusion events by an average of 15 percent.
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.
“We see this as a starting point—one that invites the community to iterate, refine, and build upon in the spirit of open and rigorous inquiry,” said Professor Curtis P. Berlinguette, the paper’s corresponding author.
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