Definition
Plain language
A container where an electric current is passed through liquid to drive a chemical reaction.
As stated in the literature
Electrochemical cell in which an applied potential drives a non-spontaneous redox reaction; the canonical apparatus of the Pons–Fleischmann setup.
Also called: electrolysis
Why it matters: It is the simple, cheap apparatus at the centre of the cold fusion claims, which is part of why so many labs could try — and fail — to reproduce them.
For example, dipping two metal rods in water and running current between them splits the water into hydrogen and oxygen bubbles.
Heard on the show
“There's an electrolysis cell, volume fractions of vacancy phases in palladium, citations to neutron diffraction and density functional theory.”Episode 240 — Frontier Models Designed Follow-Ups To Fraudulent Papers 93% Of The Time