Anatomy of a Fue l Cell: Cross-se ct ion of a c old-fu sion cell shows electrodes immerse d in deuterium oxide (heav y wate r) in the hope of inducing nuclear fusion in a palladium electrode. Excess heat i s mea sured by monitoring the temperature of water flowing around the cell. Materials to build a cell are relatively cheap, but construction is nontriv ial, and meaningf ul experimental resul ts will requir e extremely ca reful te chniq ue.

by Mark Frauenfelder

Illustration