Microscale targets were designed and tested for fission product production and simultaneous separation from target material via kinetic separation. This target design facilitates cleaner and more cost-effective isotope production. The targets were designed with micron wide uranium fissile target layer, surrounded by various fission product capture layer materials. The optimal widths for the fissile target layer and the recoil capture layer were determined using Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) modeling for experimental conditions. The target manufacturing process was the layering of the uranium fissile layer by nitrogen trifluoride volatilization onto nickel wire as the inner capture layer, and a vanadium capsule as the outer capture layer. These targets were irradiated at the Washington State University research reactor to produce roughly 2x10<sup>11</sup> fissions of the fissile material, followed by physical separation of the fissile layer and the nickel, and vanadium capture layers. Measurement of the fission products and the neptunium-239 activation product was achieved using gamma spectroscopy, the recovery of uranium in each layer was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The microscale target design enabled physical separation of the fission products from the activation product and the initial target material with a separation factor of roughly 1x10<sup>4</sup> by kinetic energy ejection of the fission products into the recoil capture layer. This target design can help alleviate supply issues of many chemotherapy and other isotope based medical products.

Microscale targets designed for simultaneous purification and production of isotopes

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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