Week 8

Hey everyone!

Like last week, this week was also focused on trying to fix the problem of collecting the hydrogen gas produced.

I checked the current caulk that I had on my device and found that there were some leaks because the material seemed to be dissolving away or was not fully leakproof.

I then researched about which caulk would be most suitable for my particular situation. I needed something that would both adhere well to plastic and not dissolve or crack under pressure or near water.

After searching online and going to the store, I talked to an associate about what I would need this caulk to do and showed them that the previous one had not worked. The associate then recommended me to try GE’s white silicone it caulk. I had researched online that 100% silicone was good for sealing and the product claimed to be permanently waterproof so I decided to try it out.

 

Before applying the new caulk I would have to remove all the old caulk and any dirt in the area in order for the new one to work effectively. I used a knife to scrape away at the old sealant and did so until it was sufficiently clean. I then carefully applied the new caulk (which was white rather than clear) to the device. This time I angled the electrodes to be closer together so that there was less resistance from the water between them when the experiment was run.

The label said that the caulk would be waterproof in 30 minutes but I decided to wait the full 24 hours before running the experiment so that the caulk could fully cure.

After the caulk was ready, I ran the experiment again, using my 9 Volt batteries in the same set up as before. Because I wasn’t sure if my makeshift balloon was tight enough (and thereby causing a leak), I found a real balloon and used a rubber band to tightly tie it to the collection tube instead of using string as before.

I left the experiment to run for a while, but again I did not see a change in the balloons shape. I’m still not sure what is wrong with the device but I decided I would talk to my professor about it the following week.