Production of zirconium-88 via proton irradiation of metallic yttrium and preparation of target for neutron transmission measurements at DICER

• Published in: Scientific reports 2023-01, Vol.13 (1), p.1736-1736, Article 1736
• Main Authors: Matyskin, Artem V., Stamatopoulos, Athanasios, O’Brien, Ellen M., DiGiovine, Brad J., Mocko, Veronika, Fassbender, Michael E., Vermeulen, C. Etienne, Koehler, Paul E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 639/166/898; 639/638/263; 639/638/903; 639/766/387/1126; 639/766/419/1131; Calibration; Chemicals; Deuterium; Energy; Experiments; Gamma rays; Humanities and Social Sciences; Irradiation; Laboratories; multidisciplinary; Neutrons; Radioisotopes; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sensors; Spectrum analysis; Tungsten; Yttrium; Zirconium
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27993-7

A process for the production of tens to hundreds of GBq amounts of zirconium-88 ( 88 Zr) using proton beams on yttrium was developed. For this purpose, yttrium metal targets (≈20 g) were irradiated in a ~16 to 34 MeV proton beam at a beam current of 100–200 µA at the Los Alamos Isotope Production Facility (IPF). The 88 Zr radionuclide was produced and separated from the yttrium targets using hydroxamate resin with an elution yield of 94(5)% (1σ). Liquid DCl solution in D 2 O was selected as a suitable 88 Zr sample matrix due to the high neutron transmission of deuterium compared to hydrogen and an even distribution of 88 Zr in the sample matrix. The separated 88 Zr was dissolved in DCl and 8 µL of the obtained solution was transferred to a tungsten sample can with a 1.2 mm diameter hole using a syringe and automated filling station inside a hot cell. Neutron transmission of the obtained 88 Zr sample was measured at the Device for Indirect Capture Experiments on Radionuclides (DICER).