Perpetual batteries from Vasilescu-Karpen

[d3x0r]

Your getting closer d3xor.did you know that nickel is so inert in alkali solution that its sometimes used as an oxygen catalyst in fuel cells? It coats with impenetrable Ni(OH)2 layer. You must dip your pyrolusite in HCl and warm for a few minutes to pit it with massive surface area.you must electroplate your nickel with nickel-black for area there.I get roughly 50-100micro-amp per mm2 pyrolusite!!! What's a square cm going to do..I can only get hold of tiny samples here.if you can get hold of large tantalum capacitors you can crack the shell off and get a nice size block of solid pyrolusite.

So to go back to this point...
does the prolusite have to be solid?  Or can it be a powder?

http://www.rexresearch.com/karpen/karpen.htm
"The electrodes can be formed of a mass of powders contained in bags or porous vessels, etc."

[Neo-X]

Read this a confirmation of Karpen pile http://www.technologyreview.com/view/427140/graphene-battery-turns-ambient-heat-into-electric-current/
http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1206/1206.3748.pdf

[MarkE]

Read this a confirmation of Karpen pile http://www.technologyreview.com/view/427140/graphene-battery-turns-ambient-heat-into-electric-current/
http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1206/1206.3748.pdf

There are serious issues with the way that the experiments were conducted and how they reached their conclusions.

[profitis]

I'm so glad you asked that question about them shoving carbon plus nickel together d3xor..if you look in karpens patent he gives an example suggestion of nickel with carbon.this is because oxgen gas spillover happens very nicely from carbon onto nickel improving catalyst activity if they are stuck 2gether.oxygen spillover is quite strong from MnO2 onto nickel.you must use solid chunks pyrolusite for best conductivity and power as it is slightly semiconductor.you must etch it with HCl for surface area otherwize power is small.what you can try is electroplating a layer of MnO2 onto graphite rod(from a battery,make sure its been dewaxed on a hotplate) as an anode and another graphite rod as cathode in a solution of MnSO4 and a few drops H2SO4.it must be rinsed thouroughly in warm water before use in the karpen cell.anode graphite:Mn2+ + 2H2O > MnO2 + 4H+ + 4e-,cathode graphite:4H+ + 4e- > 2H2

[profitis]

Unfortunately Mark E is correct @neo.gold and silver in copper chloride or copper sulphate solution will result in a galvanic corrosion of the silver,however their concept is very good and probably can work under different circumstances.I don't know if they did this under nitrogen or air