On Sep 16, 2007, at 1:44 PM, Jed Rothwell wrote:
I hope that some other material can be found. I think this is increasingly likely.
I think it is a certainty. Pd, Ni, Ti, Al, Zr are effective to some degree in the liquid water normal pressure range. A vast number of alloys should be effective in high temperature ranges, where loading occurs at an even higher temperature than the actual heat producing range. Thermal cycling and control, and high operating temperature are all critical to practical cell operation. Annealing abilities and stability at high temperatures, the hydrogen diffusion rate at high temperature, and electrical conductivity characteristics, are all probably at least equally important as the ability of the lattice to avoid cracking, embrittlement. Pd, the most effective element known at room temperature, is probably comparatively ineffective at practical cell operating temperatures. I would expect a wide range of alloys to be effective, and thus a selection of inexpensive materials to be available.
I think the search for CF lattices should be ongoing in high temperature, controlled temperature, environments. I think excess heat will be produced by *dropping* the temperature of the loaded lattice. Practical CF lattices will likely operate in a temperature range where they glow.
Horace Heffner http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/
