Validation of an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method for the determination of cerium, strontium, and titanium in ceramic materials used in radiological dispersal devices (RDDs).

In radiological dispersal device (RDD) studies, sintered ceramics made of CeO2 and SrTiO3 were used to simulate actinide oxides and (90)SrTiO3, respectively. Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were investigated as possible analytical techniques for the measurement of SrTiO3 and CeO2 constituents in powder forms, sintered ceramics, and air particulates collected following a detonation. For ICP-OES and ICP-MS analysis, new digestion procedures were developed using a closed-vessel microwave apparatus.