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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

“Production of High Specific Activity 155 Tb, 161 Tb and 203 Pb for Research and Clinical Applications: Effective Target Design, Target Material Recycling and Radioisotope Separation”

Radioisotopes are essential for the development and application of radiopharmaceuticals that target specific diseases, such as cancer, offering unique potential for precision medicine. The growing demand for theranostic radioisotopes underscores their critical role in personalized medicine, where they enhance diagnostic imaging, minimize patient radiation exposure, and improve targeted tissue uptake, particularly in receptor- and antigen-directed therapies. The theranostic pair terbium-155 (diagnostic) and terbium-161 (therapeutic) holds significant promise for advancing individualized, targeted, and dosimetry-driven radiotherapies. However, the United States currently lacks routine and reliable production of these isotopes. This project made significant progress toward addressing this supply issue by developing production and separation methods for terbium-155 and terbium-161 while also training the next generation of the nuclear and radiochemistry workforce. This grant also strengthened collaboration between scientists at the University of Washington, the University of Missouri and Brookhaven National Laboratory. The research effort focused on evaluating target preparation methods, optimizing irradiation parameters, and refining isolation processes. In addition, the project provided extensive hands-on training to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, equipping them with expertise in radioisotope production technologies and fostering the growth of the nuclear science workforce.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electromagnetic Radioisotope Separator for Methods Development, Testing, and Training

The major goal of the project is the construction and operation of an electromagnetic isotope separator. Included in that goal is the construction and installation of a high throughput surface ion source, with specific applicability to the Lanthanides. The surface ion source features a single-piece titanium crucible insert that mates with a tantalum hot surface ionizer. The titanium crucible, which does not readily activate, can be loaded with samarium and then irradiated simultaneously, greatly reducing operator dose.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Production of High Specific Activity 155 Tb, 161 Tb and 203 Pb for Research and Clinical Applications: Effective Target Design, Target Material Recycling and Radioisotope Separation (Final Technical Report)

The overall objectives of this project were (1) to develop methods for the production and separation of a diagnostic and therapeutic or “theranostic” pair of radioisotopes, terbium-155 ( 155 Tb) and terbium-161 ( 161 Tb) and (2) to train graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in technologies and methods used in radionuclide production. Radionuclides can be incorporated into drugs called radiopharmaceuticals that target a specific disease (e.g., cancer). The need for theranostic radionuclides is escalating with the clinical translation of radiopharmaceuticals due to their implementation in personalized medicine, which has demonstrated enhanced patient treatments. High purity and high specific activity radionuclides are critical for theranostic agent development, for example to maintain diagnostic image quality, to minimize radiation dose to the patient, and to increase uptake in the targeted tissue (e.g., tumor), especially in the case of receptor- and antigen-targeted agents. The 155 Tb (diagnostic) and 161 Tb (therapeutic) radioisotopes that were generated through this project are a theranostic pair with demonstrated potential for the development and translation into individualized, targeted, and dosimetry-driven radiotherapies. However, the development of such radiotherapies has been hindered by the lack of a routine and reliable supply of these isotopes in the United States. Methods for the production, separation, and supply of 155 Tb and 161 Tb were investigated and developed in this project. Further, the strong emphasis throughout the project on the training of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows has helped to ensure and enhance the nuclear science workforce through the training of the next generation of highly qualified scientists in nuclear and radiochemistry. This grant also continued a collaboration between scientists at the University of Washington (UW), the University of Missouri (MU) and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). All three institutions were involved in the project, but to different degrees on the various tasks through which the overall objectives were met.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fundamental Data Supporting Novel Radiochemical Separations

Rapid chemical separation of actinide, lanthanide, and other radioactive elements is an important pursuit in the field of radioanalytical and nuclear chemistry. Vital to the development of advanced systems to achieve such separations is the determination of elements’ distribution coefficients (Kd values) for chromatographic resins. In this study, batch contacts of 68 elements were performed with various commercially available resins, and the resulting distribution coefficients were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometry Analysis (ICP-MS). An evaluation of the resulting Kd data for elements on the resins was performed. Finally, this work presents prototype flowsheets for streamlined separation of radioisotopes from a variety of complex matrices.

Distribution Coefficient↗
DOE OSTI2024

Production, Purification and Characterization of Radioisotopes (Final Report)

This collaborative proposal between the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB, PI Suzanne Lapi), and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL, collaborator Michael Fassbender) aims to develop novel techniques for isotope production. This proposal takes advantage of complementary techniques available at the UAB cyclotron facility and LANL isotope production facility (IPF) and involved UAB faculty, postdocs, graduate students and undergraduates as well as LANL scientists and staff. This project involved the development of separation techniques for radioisotope production at UAB, using radiotracer analogues produced using the TR24 cyclotron, which would directly translate to separations of the desired isotopes produced at LANL via neutron spallation. Extended visits to LANL by UAB students involved in this initiative were originally envision but were hampered due to COVID restrictions.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2025

Sulfur-functionalized solid-phase materials for the selective separation of arsenic and selenium

Radioactive arsenic (As) isotopes are of growing interest for applications in nuclear medicine, national security, and environmental research. Recent efforts at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) have focused on aqueous harvesting of selenium-72,73 ( 72,73 Se) and their daughter isotopes, arsenic-72,73 ( 72,73 As), which are particularly valuable for medical applications and nuclear data studies, respectively. Both conventional isotope production and harvesting methods require chemical separations to purify radioactive As from parent and co-produced Se radioisotopes. While several solid-phase separation methods for As and Se exist, many depend on complex oxidation state control or highly acidic conditions. This study presents results for sulfur-based solid-phase materials selected to enable uptake at lower acidity and eliminate the need for intricate redox chemistry. Specifically, the performance of three covalently bound sulfur-based ligands were evaluated: (1) thiophenol-polystyrene, (2) propanethiol-silica, and (3) thiourea-silica. Uptake characteristics—including distribution coefficients (Dw), kinetics, and column separation behavior—were assessed using 75 Se and 73 As in hydrochloric (HCl) acid and nitric (HNO 3 ) solutions. The resins demonstrated high-yield (>95%) and high-purity As recovery across a range of HCl concentrations. Comparable results in HNO 3 were achieved when combined with anion exchange chromatography. Furthermore, the potential application of these materials for medical isotope generators was also investigated through ligand stability and repeated elution studies. Overall, sulfur leaching from the resins was negligible at the concentrations relevant for these separations but increased with higher acid concentrations.

Arsenic↗
DOE OSTI2025

Investigating Np(VI) Nitrate Speciation Control through Temperature and Optical Spectroscopy

Numerous areas of nuclear processing, such as radioisotope production, nuclear waste remediation, and separations, depend upon the speciation of f-elements in the solution state. However, fundamental knowledge of the actinides─particularly Np─lags behind most of the elements on the periodic table. Despite the importance of Np(VI) chemistry in separations and nuclear processing, its speciation in HNO 3 remains uncertain. This work addresses some of these gaps by investigating the effect of HNO 3 concentration and temperature on the spectra and speciation of the Np(VI) nitrate system. Six samples of Np in 1 to 10 M HNO 3 were prepared and treated with (NH 4 ) 2 [Ce(NO 3 ) 6 ] to stabilize the hexavalent oxidation state. The absorbance spectrum of the 10 M HNO 3 is drastically different from the spectra of the other samples; the 10 M spectrum indicates coordination of nitrate ligands to the Np(VI)O 2 2+ ion to form a complex with high symmetry. Additionally, absorbance spectra were recorded over the temperature range of 15 to 40 °C, and systematic increases and decreases in certain spectral features of the ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis)–near-infrared (NIR) spectra are present in the spectra. The difference in spectral features suggests that Np(VI) nitrate speciation depends on temperature. Dilution studies of this sample were monitored with UV–vis–NIR and Raman spectroscopies. Spectral data indicate the presence of multiple complexes with different symmetries, including a high-symmetry complex with an inversion center. As samples are diluted and aquo ligands replace nitrate ligands bound to the Np(VI) neptunyl cation, changes in spectroscopic signals indicate a decrease in the high-symmetry nitrate complex and an increase in the lower-symmetry aquo complex. Additionally, the Raman band associated with the Np(VI)O 2 2+ symmetric stretch broadens with dilution and is fitted with two peaks. These peaks are assigned to Np(VI) aquo and nitrato complexes, indicating that this vibrational mode is sensitive to the coordination environment of the Np(VI) neptunyl cation and that contributions from these two Np(VI) complexes can be distinguished. This unique experimental data could be used to advance computational models describing the electronic transitions of complex actinyl ions.

Absorption↗
DOE OSTI2026

Processing iridium foil targets for the production of radioplatinum isotopes

Dissolving noble metals remains challenging because of their high reduction potentials and tendency to passivate as oxides. This barrier is acute for iridium metal targets used to produce platinum radioisotopes, where post-irradiation processing is costly and hazardous with conventional routes. Here, we report a rapid alkali-fusion method that converts Ir metal directly into chloride media compatible with downstream separations. In the process, an Ir foil is fused with Na 2 O 2 and KCl at temperatures above the KCl melting point; the molten salt enhances heat transfer and facilitates O 2− /Na + transport to the Ir surface, overcoming Ir's oxidation resistance. The fused cake is then cooled and leached in 10 M HCl, yielding Ir in solution without specialized microwave digestion or HF. Pt separation from bulk Ir was evaluated using extraction-chromatography resins. A newly formulated ionic-liquid resin containing Cyphos IL 104 (E104) was compared with two commercial resins (TrisKem TK200 and TK201). All resins achieved >90 % Ir recovery. Pt co-recovery depended on resin chemistry: TK200 recovered 85.9 % Pt, TK201 recovered 54.1 % Pt, and E104 recovered 72.9 % Pt. This study introduces a fast, scalable dissolution route for solid Ir targets and demonstrates resin choices that tune Ir/Pt separation, lowering the barrier to routine production and purification of Pt radioisotopes.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Establishing Pb-203 production from electrodeposited Tl targets at Brookhaven National Laboratory

Background: Promising developments in Pb-212 radiopharmaceutical therapies have increased demand for Pb-203 diagnostic agents. Building on previous work from various isotope production facilities, this study optimized Pb-203 production from electrodeposited Tl targets at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The additional supply of Pb-203 may help meet growing preclinical and clinical demands. Results: Two Tl targets were irradiated at the Brookhaven Linac Isotope Producer facility with 30 ± 1 MeV protons, measured using previously published cross section data. Distribution coefficients for Pb Resin in acetate media were investigated for both Na + and K + cations, where potassium acetate was ~ 4 times more effective at stripping Pb from the Pb Resin. The Tl electrodeposition was optimized to deposit 350 mg of Tl (~ 60 mg/cm 2 ) on Au backing in under 6 h. The proposed separation process was completed in < 1.5 h and achieved > 98% and 92 ± 3% recovery of Tl and Pb, respectively, with an overall Tl-Pb separation factor of 6 × 10 5 . The experimentally measured half-life of Pb-203 was 52.4 ± 0.7 h, agreeing with 51.93 ± 0.02 h reported by the National Nuclear Data Center. The radioisotopic purity of the Pb fraction at 24 h post end of bombardment (EOB) from a 24 h irradiation was 66% Pb-203, 28% Pb-201, and 6% Pb-200. Following chemical separation, the Pb-203 produced in this work (21 MBq Pb-203 EOB) achieved apparent molar activities of 10 ± 5 and 0.9 ± 0.5 GBq/µmol for [ 203 Pb]Pb-DOTAM and [ 203 Pb]Pb-DO3A, respectively, decay corrected to EOB. Data derived from this work suggests BNL can produce > 10’s GBq Pb-203 with > 99% radiochemical and radioisotopic purity from Tl-205 for worldwide distribution. Conclusions: The production and separation of Pb-203 from natural Tl target material was successfully demonstrated at BNL. Existing methods were adapted and optimized for the facilities at BNL. Results from this work will guide future large-scale Pb-203 production opportunities at BNL for clinical applications.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sustainable production of radionuclidically pure antimony-119

Background Radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) uses radionuclides that decay via one of three therapeutically relevant decay modes (alpha, beta, and internal conversion (IC) / Auger electron (AE) emission) to deliver short range, highly damaging radiation inside of diseased cells, maintaining localized dose distribution and sparing healthy cells. Antimony-119 ( 119 Sb, t 1/2 = 38.19 h, EC = 100%) is one such IC/AE emitting radionuclide, previously limited to in silico computational investigation due to barriers in production, chemical separation, and chelation. A theranostic (therapeutic/diagnostic) pair can be formed with 119 Sb’s radioisotopic imaging analogue 117 Sb (t 1/2 = 2.80 h, E γ = 158.6 keV, I γ = 85.9%, β + = 262.4 keV, I β+ = 1.81%). Results Within, we report techniques for sustainable and cost-effective production of pre-clinical quality and quantity, radionuclidically pure 119 Sb and 117 Sb, novel low energy photon measurement techniques for 119 Sb activity determination, and physical yields for various tin target isotopic enrichments and thicknesses using (p, n) and (d, n) nuclear reactions. Additionally, we present a two-column separation providing a radioantimony yield of 73.1% ± 6.9% (N = 3) and tin separation factor of (6.8 ± 5.5) x 10 5 (N = 3). Apparent molar activity measurements for deuteron produced 117 Sb using the chelator TREN-CAM were measured at 42.4 ± 25 MBq 117 Sb/µmol (1.14 ± 0.68 mCi/µmol), and we recovered enriched 119 Sn target material at a recycling efficiency of 80.2% ± 5.5% (N = 6) with losses of 11.6 mg ± 0.8 mg (N = 6) per production. Conclusion We report significant steps in overcoming barriers in 119 Sb production, chemical isolation and purification, enriched target material recycling, and chelation, helping promote accessibility and application of this promising therapeutic radionuclide. We describe a method for 119 Sb activity measurement using its low energy gamma (23.87 keV), negating the need for attenuation correction. Finally, we report the largest yet-measured 119 Sb production yields using proton and deuteron irradiation of natural and enriched targets and radioisotopic purity > 99.8% at end of purification.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2024

Metallic Coating of Cerium Oxide Microspheres

The ability to remove heat is paramount to nuclear fuel performance and longevity. Retaining fission product and separating fuel from reactor coolant and the environment is also necessary to prevent radiological contamination. Conventional nuclear fuel for commercial light water reactors and radioisotope power systems (RPS) is composed of oxide powders pressed into a pellet (cm-scale) and then sealed into a metal cladding to confine the fuel. What typical fuels lack is a method to surround each particle of nuclear fuel in metal, thus providing a more intimate protection layer for accident tolerance and boosting the thermal extraction from the fuel element. In such a way, metal-coated fuel particles increase heat extraction efficiency over clad-pellet designs while increasing the accident tolerance of the fuel. Metal oxide microspheres have wide-ranging applications, including the realm of fuels for nuclear reactors and RPS. Microspheres of uranium oxide/uranium carbide, mixed uranium/plutonium oxides, transuranics, and thorium fuels have been extensively studied. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has also demonstrated the production of 238 PuO 2 microspheres for RPS applications. Metal-coated oxide microsphere fuels may also be attractive for other applications such as nuclear thermal rockets, future nuclear reactor designs, and catalysts.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Isotope harvesting from a NSCL beam blocker: Isolation of 173,174 lu

A decommissioned beam blocker from the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory was processed for recovery of long-lived Lu radioisotopes at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The beam blocker was a W alloy that had built up considerable levels of activation from high energy particle irradiation over the course of 20 years. The isolation of 173,174 Lu from the bulk material required a complex chemical separation scheme due to the large mass and the wide variety of elements present. The final yield of 173,174 Lu was 76.7 ± 4.8% with an extremely high radiopurity and chemical purity. The reduction in W mass from the initial material to the final sample was 8 × 10 10 . In conclusion, the results show great promise for extracting large quantities of Lu radioisotopes from these types of W beam blockers at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, which will be irradiated at levels significantly higher than the beam blocker investigated here.

and nuclear chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2026

Physical thickness characterization of the FRIB production targets

The FRIB heavy-ion accelerator, commissioned in 2022, is a leading facility for producing rare isotope beams (RIBs) and exploring nuclei beyond the limits of stability. These RIBs are produced via reactions between stable primary beams and a graphite target. Approximately 20–40% of the primary beam power is deposited in the target, requiring efficient thermal dissipation. Currently, FRIB operates with a primary beam power of up to 20 kW. To enhance thermal dissipation efficiency, a single-slice rotating graphite target with a diameter of approximately 30 cm is employed. The effective target region is a 1 cm-wide outer rim of the graphite disc. To achieve high RIB production rates, the areal thickness variation must be constrained within 2%. This paper presents physical thickness characterizations of FRIB production targets with various nominal thicknesses, measured using a custom-built non-contact thickness measurement apparatus.

Instrumentation for radioactive beams (fragmentati↗
DOE OSTI2025

Window Cooling Studies and Disk Vibration Testing on a Subset of Mo-100 Disks

Production of metastable Technetium-99 (Tc-99m), a radioactive tracer that emits gamma rays, is vital to the medical imaging community. Tc-99m is extracted from the decay of Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) which has a half-life of about 2-3 days. The work presented in this report is part of the NNSA’s mission to produce Mo-99 commercially, within the US, without the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in support of nonproliferation and global security. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is working with NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes (NMR) on their efforts to produce Mo-99 through the irradiation of Mo-100 targets using an electron beam. The NMR target comprises a stack of approximately 60-70 Mo-100 disks with diameter 24 mm and thickness 0.74 mm held in stainless steel laminations, each separated using 0.25 mm thick stainless-steel spacers. The symmetric target stack is housed in an Inconel vessel with two Inconel windows on either side. Two electron accelerators are used to produce 40 MeV, 3.16 µA electron beams each that penetrate the Inconel windows and irradiate the Mo-100 disks. Approximately 90% of the total 250 kW beam power is deposited in the NMR target during the irradiation process, with a smaller percentage adding up to 2.2 kW of heat deposited on the Inconel window. During irradiation, pressurized helium gas flows through thin gaps between the disks cooling the beam window, target disks, disk laminations and spacers. Both NMR and LANL have found during cold testing of the target system (no heat deposition) that the Mo 100 disks undergo significant mass loss and disk breakage due to vibrations induced by the flowing helium gas. The mass loss is not only undesirable due to monetary loss from reduced final quantities of Mo-99, but also due to the hazards associated with radioactive material trapped in the cooling lines and particle filters. The effect of flow rate and target geometry on the flow induced vibrations need to be quantified, and recommendations provided to minimize this mass loss. LANL has previously also tested NMR’s Inconel beam window by heating the window, while flowing pressurized helium, using the average heat deposited on the window. However, the NMR beam is pulsed with a duty cycle of 12.5%, which introduces oscillation in temperature around the nominal 600 °C steady state value with each pulse. Available fatigue curves for Inconel are few, established for room temperature, and they are based on mechanical strain cycles not thermally induced strain as in the NMR target. The effect of pulsed beam heating on the Inconel window therefore needs to be quantified. This report details the experiments conducted to assess the factors that lead to mass loss in the NMR target disks as well as to understand the effect of a pulsed beam on NMR’s Inconel window. This work describes LANL’s experimental characterization of the flow induced vibrations and disk mass loss in a reduced scale set-up containing 5 to 10 Mo-100 disks. We use high speed imaging, displacement measurements and microphone measurements combined with signal processing to estimate the vibration frequency of each disk. The effect of disk thickness, target fit and duration of testing on the mass loss is described. We find that in the current configuration of NMR targets, the vibrations and mass loss on the first disk are minimized, while those in the adjacent disks are highest. The microphone and high-speed image data show that increased flow rates and increased duration of testing increases vibration frequency and mass loss. The mass loss is due to both disk rotation and back and forth motion. There are visible wear marks on the disks with the highest mass loss. We also note that the current NMR window gap reduces flow induced vibrations compared to the previous smaller gaps. Improved target holders significantly reduce disk mass loss to almost negligible quantities. This work finds that the larger window to first disk gap and improved target holder geometry should allow NMR to successfully conduct irradiations with minimal mass loss. The window tests were conducted to understand the effect of a pulsed beam on both the window longevity and to estimate the window temperature and displacement during pulsing. The experiments presented here were performed at significantly low power, due to the limitations of the induction heating system. The window temperature rose to approximately 73 °C with a significantly reduced power of 45 W without beam pulsing. With a 5 Hz pulse rate, 12.5% duty cycle, the window temperature remained constant at 26 °C. These experiments will be repeated with improved coil geometry and reported in upcoming journal papers.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Radioisotope production at the Spallation Neutron Source: Design concept of experimental target station

Completion of the Proton Power Upgrade Project for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) accelerator at Oak Ridge National Laboratory opens an opportunity to utilize reserve beam power of more than 100 kW for applications beyond neutron production. One of these applications is the production of critical radionuclides. To demonstrate the feasibility of using the reserve beam power to produce radioisotope at SNS, a design concept of a small-scale experimental target station in the Linac Dump area has been developed. This experimental facility will provide isotope yield benchmarking data using protons in the GeV range. It will also enable additional research and development in isotope handling and radiochemical separation. The target station consists of a target module enclosed in a vessel and concrete shielding. Particle transport calculations and thermo-mechanical simulations are used to determine beam parameters, decay time, isotope yield, shielding dimensions, and target design parameters. Calculations verified that the irradiated capsule can be handled manually using hands-off tools and transported to a hot cell in a shielded container for post-irradiation characterizations.

Lee, Yong Joong [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000298381723)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Particulate Effluent Characterization (Final Report)

Understanding particulate emissions from nuclear facilities could help differentiate between normal nuclear operations and potential nuclear accidents or nuclear weapons tests. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is unique in that there are several types of nuclear facilities on site: an operating production reactor, radiochemical separation facilities, and a spallation neutron source. This project deployed a high-volume particulate air filter sampler to collect airborne particulate effluent from the nuclear facilities on site at ORNL. Collections occurred regularly from November 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, and were analyzed via gamma spectroscopy in the laboratory. The radioisotope iodine-123 ( 123 I) was detected in several samples throughout the collection period. Detailed atmospheric transport modeling was performed on all detections for source attribution, and the most likely source of the 123 I was determined to be the Spallation Neutron Source. The project demonstrated the viability of ORNL as a test bed for effluent monitoring studies.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

147 Nd Quantification Using HSCCC-Purified Samples

Quantifying the fission product 147 Nd in nuclear debris samples is an important component of post-detonation nuclear forensics. The most accurate quantifications are obtained when Nd is purified from all other fission products, actinides, activation products, and environmental matrix contained within the debris. In this study, a recently developed method for Nd purification was tested, purifying 147 Nd from solutions of mixed fission products using high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC). Importantly, the new method allowed for faster elution of Nd from the column as compared with established high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods, and resulted in accurate/precise 147 Nd quantification by gamma-ray spectrometry. While the up-front equipment costs associated with HSCCC may be higher, its operational costs are on par with those of HPLC (solvents, extractants, power). Gas-flow proportional beta decay counting revealed contamination from the nearest neighbor lanthanide 143 Pr (a gamma-silent radioisotope) in the HSCCC-purified samples, but the activity contribution from 147 Nd could still be quantified. Remarkably consistent elution profiles were observed for the HSCCC method, spanning rare earth element (REE) loadings of more than 10 orders of magnitude (tracer to mmol quantities). In conclusion, the reliability and speed of the new method suggest utility for the rapid separation and quantification of 147 Nd in unknown samples.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗