Solvent extraction of Ac-225 in nano-layer coated, solvent resistant PDMS microfluidic chips.

Separating medical radionuclides from their targets is one of the most critical steps in radiopharmaceutical production. Among many separation methods, solvent extraction has a lot of potential due to its simplicity, high selectivity, and high efficiency. Especially with the rise of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic chips, this extraction process can take place in a simple and reproducible chip platform continuously and automatically.

Membrane-based microfluidic solvent extraction of Ga-68 from aqueous Zn solutions: towards an automated cyclotron production loop.

Background: The radionuclide Ga-68 is commonly used in nuclear medicine, specifically in positron emission tomography (PET). Recently, the interest in producing Ga-68 by cyclotron irradiation of [Zn]Zn nitrate liquid targets is increasing. However, current purification methods of Ga-68 from the target solution consist of multi-step procedures, thus, leading to a significant loss of activity through natural decay.