Development of a SnO-based Ti/Sc generator for medical applications.

Towards application of Sc for diagnostic nuclear medicine, a Ti/Sc generator based on an inorganic resin has been evaluated. Unlike other radionuclide generators used for medical applications, the long-term retention of the parent Ti is vital due to its long half life. Herein, tin dioxide (SnO), a robust inorganic-based resin, has been synthesized and used as the stationary phase for a Ti/Sc generator.

Preparation of monodisperse cerium oxide particle suspensions from a tetravalent precursor.

Cerium oxide particles are a unique material that enables studying the intersection of metal oxides, -elements, and nanomaterials. Distinct from diverse applications in catalysis, energy, and medicine, cerium possesses additional influence as a non-radioactive actinide surrogate. Herein, we present a synthesis for sub-micron cerium particles using hexamethylenetetramine and ammonium hydroxide as precipitating agents with a Ce precursor.

Harvesting Zr from heavy-ion beam irradiated tungsten at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory.

Tungsten is a commonly used material at many heavy-ion beam facilities, and it often becomes activated due to interactions with a beam. Many of the activation products are useful in basic and applied sciences if they can be recovered efficiently. In order to develop the radiochemistry for harvesting group (IV) elements from irradiated tungsten, a heavy-ion beam containing Zr was embedded into a stack of tungsten foils at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory and a separation methodology was devised to recover the Zr.

3D printed field-deployable microfluidic systems for the separation and assay of Pu in nuclear forensics.

A compact field-deployable microfluidic system has been developed to improve timelines for the rapid analysis of debris in post-detonation nuclear forensics. We used a high-resolution 3D printer to miniaturize typical laboratory-based procedures into a fieldable platform. Microfluidic half-modules were produced for the purification of Pu from excess U, along with a portable alpha chamber for the following isotopic analysis of the Pu stream.

Solid-phase isotope harvesting of Zr from a radioactive ion beam facility.

During routine operation of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), radionuclides will accumulate in both the aqueous beam dump and along the beamline in the process of beam purification. These byproduct radionuclides, many of which are far from stability, can be collected and purified for use in other scientific applications in a process called isotope harvesting. In this work, the viability of Zr harvesting from solid components was investigated at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory.

Production, Collection, and Purification of Ca for the Generation of Sc through Isotope Harvesting at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory.

An experiment was performed at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory using a 140 MeV/nucleon Ca beam and a flowing-water target to produce Ca for the first time with this production route. A production rate of 0.020 ± 0.

Harvesting V at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory.

As part of an effort to develop aqueous isotope harvesting techniques at radioactive beam facilities, V and a cocktail of primary- and secondary-beam ions created by the fragmentation reaction of a 160 MeV/nucleon Ni beam were stopped in an aqueous target cell. After collection, V was separated from the mixture of beam ions using cation-exchange chromatography. The extraction efficiency from the aqueous solution was (47.

The surprisingly large neutron capture cross-section of Zr.

The probability that a nucleus will absorb a neutron-the neutron capture cross-section-is important to many areas of nuclear science, including stellar nucleosynthesis, reactor performance, nuclear medicine and defence applications. Although neutron capture cross-sections have been measured for most stable nuclei, fewer results exist for radioactive isotopes, and statistical-model predictions typically have large uncertainties. There are almost no nuclear data for neutron-induced reactions of the radioactive nucleus Zr, despite its importance as a diagnostic for nuclear security.

Organic layer formation and sorption of U(vi) on acetamide diethylphosphonate-functionalized mesoporous silica.

Acetamide diethylphosphonate (AcPhos)-functionalized silica has been shown to have a high affinity for U(vi) in pH 2-3 nitric acid. Previous work with AcPhos-functionalized silica has focused on actinide and lanthanide extraction under various conditions, but has shown poor reproducibility in the functionalization process. For this work, four AcPhos-functionalized SBA-15 materials were synthesized and evaluated based on their U(vi) sorption capacity and their stability in nitric acid.

Probing the interaction of U(vi) with phosphonate-functionalized mesoporous silica using solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

The fundamental interaction of U(vi) with diethylphosphatoethyl triethoxysilane functionalized SBA-15 mesoporous silica is studied by macroscopic batch experiments and solid-state NMR spectroscopy. DPTS-functionalized silica has been shown to extract U(vi) from nitric acid solutions at or above pH 3. Extraction is dependent on pH and ionic strength.

Development and Testing of Diglycolamide Functionalized Mesoporous Silica for Sorption of Trivalent Actinides and Lanthanides.

Sequestration of trivalent actinides and lanthanides present in used nuclear fuel and legacy wastes is necessary for appropriate long-term stewardship of these metals, particularly to prevent their release into the environment. Organically modified mesoporous silica is an efficient material for recovery and potential subsequent separation of actinides and lanthanides because of its high surface area, tunable ligand selection, and chemically robust substrate. We have synthesized the first novel hybrid material composed of SBA-15 type mesoporous silica functionalized with diglycolamide ligands (DGA-SBA).

Analysis of trivalent cation complexation to functionalized mesoporous silica using solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

Functionalized mesoporous silica has applications in separations science, catalysis, and sensors. In this work, we studied the fundamental interactions of trivalent cations with functionalized mesoporous silica. We contacted trivalent cations of varying ionic radii with N-[5-(trimethoxysilyl)-2-aza-1-oxopentyl]caprolactam functionalized mesoporous silica with the aim of probing the binding mechanism of the metal to the surface of the solid.