Quantum tunnelling harnessed to radically improve efficiency of separation of deuterium from water

Deuterium can be electrochemically separated from ordinary hydrogen far more efficiently than current techniques using a ‘through barrier’ effect . The work, which achieves a record-breaking separation factor at room temperature, could be useful to the nuclear industry.

Deuterated water has many uses, ranging from a coolant in nuclear reactors to a drug for Huntington’s disease. However, it naturally makes up only about 120 parts per million of water and separating it from water containing light hydrogen (protium) is difficult. Owing to the mass difference, researchers have developed distillation and selective adsorption technologies, but these are both energy intensive.