The Preparation of Thin Conductive Polyimide Foils for Nuclear Targets.

Thin and conductive plastic foils are of great interest to the target preparation and nuclear physics communities as a backing support for neutron-induced reaction measurements. This paper describes the preparation and characterization of thin, freestanding conductive polyimide films with an areal density suitable for target preparation in nuclear chemistry applications. The films were fabricated by blending a variety of graphene-based nanoparticles, a custom-made graphene suspension, and carbon nanotubes within a polymer matrix.

Preparation of thick uranium layers on aluminium and stainless steel backings.

The methods of electrodeposition and "molecular plating" were studied for the production of uranium targets with an areal density up to 0.6 mg cm(-2) on aluminium and up to 1.5 mg cm(-2) on stainless steel backings from aqueous and organic electrolytes.

Multi-layer ²³⁵UF₄-⁶LiF-Au targets for high-resolution fission fragment measurements.

Multi-layer (235)UF4-(6)LiF-Au targets have been produced by vacuum deposition on thin polyimide foils with an areal density, measured by spectrophotometry, of about 33µgcm(-2). The foils were first covered with an Au-layer and then, with a second layer of (6)LiF, both by vapour deposition. The (235)UF4 layer was prepared by fluoride sublimation.

Measurement of the 109Cd half-life.

The half-life of (109)Cd was measured by following the decay of sources from a radiochemically pure solution with two different measuring systems: an ionisation chamber and a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector. The measurements were performed over a period of 3.6 years, i.

Measurement of the (54)Mn half-life.

The half-life of (54)Mn was measured by following the decay of sources from a radiochemically pure solution using three different measuring systems: an ionisation chamber, a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector and two 7.5 cm (diameter) × 7.5 cm (height) NaI(Tl) scintillation detectors in opposite position.