Analysis Of Ni-Hydride Thin Film After Surface Plasmons Generation By Laser Technique

A nickel-hydride thin film was studied by the Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) method. The differences between a “black” film and a pure nickel film “blank” behaviour are showed. The black Ni-hydride film has been obtained by a short electrolysis with 1 M Li2SO4 electrolyte in light water. A shift in the minimum of the observed reflected light occurs, together with a change in the minimum shape, i.e. its half-height width increases. This two phenomenon are due to the change in the electronic band structure of the metal induced by the electron added in the lattice by hydrogen. The changing of the electronic structure, revealed by the laser coupling conditions, leads to consider that an hydride phase was created. Both the blank (not hydrogenated) and black (hydrogenated) specimens were taken under He-Ne laser beam at the reflectance minimum angle for about three hours. A SIMS analysis was also implemented to reveal differences in the isotopic composition of Cu, as marker element, between the blank and black films, in order to study the coupled effect of electrolysis and plasmon-polariton excitation on LENR processes in condensed matter.