-----Original Message----- From: Jed Rothwell > Even if I am wrong and Focardi's results are not as "iffy" as I suspect, we still need to see a solid independent replication, because these results are very different from ... Mills -- electrolysis; gigantic Ni surface area; very low power density; a claim that potassium in the electrolyte is essential to the reaction...
**To clarify that point : both Ni and K are Mills catalysts, So either would work alone, but better in synergy, so the big mystery is how does Ni alone become so active, for Focardi? > Focardi -- gas loading; very small Ni surface area; some of the highest power density ever reported... The surface area is puzzling to me. ** Yes - this is the key point, and why it may be impossible to replicate without knowing every minute detail about that rod. In Mills' present commercial reactor he uses Raney Nickel. This kind of nickel has a gigantic surface area which is approx 10^7 times greater than bulk nickel, BUT- the powder can easily be compressed into a Rod, to superficially resemble bulk nickel, if one wished to retain that detail, as a trade secret. I am not suggesting at all that this is Focardi's secret, but Raney Nickel has been known for well over 80 years (developed in rural Tenn, near Atlanta, in 1926, and used in Italy as a catalyst since before WWII, so this is possible) It would also be possible to carefully and deeply etch a nickel alloy rod to achieve a large surface area, and this route would be obvious to anyone who had studied electrochemical catalysis, and knew about the incredible surface effects of Raney Nickel. Jones
