Target Development towards First Production of High-Molar- Activity 44gSc and 47Sc by Mass Separation at CERN-MEDICIS

The radionuclides 43Sc, 44g/mSc, and 47Sc can be produced cost-effectively in sufficient yield for medical research and applications by irradiating natTi and natV target materials with protons. Maximizing the production yield of the therapeutic 47Sc in the highest cross section energy range of 24–70 MeV results in the co-production of long-lived, high-γ-ray-energy 46Sc and 48Sc contaminants if one does not use enriched target materials. Mass separation can be used to obtain high molar activity and isotopically pure Sc radionuclides from natural target materials; however, suitable operational conditions to obtain relevant activity released from irradiated natTi and natV have not yet been established at CERN-MEDICIS and ISOLDE. The objective of this work was to develop target units for the production, release, and purification of Sc radionuclides by mass separation as well as to investigate target materials for the mass separation that are compatible with high-yield Sc radionuclide production in the 9–70 MeV proton energy range. In this study, the in-target production yield obtained at MEDICIS with 1.4 GeV protons is compared with the production yield that can be reached with commercially available cyclotrons. The thick-target materials were irradiated at MEDICIS and comprised of metallic natTi, natV metallic foils, and natTiC pellets. The produced radionuclides were subsequently released, ionized, and extracted from various target and ion source units and mass separated. Mono-atomic Sc laser and molecule ionization with forced-electron-beam-induced arc-discharge ion sources were investigated. Sc radionuclide production in thick natTi and natV targets at MEDICIS is equivalent to low- to medium-energy cyclotron-irradiated targets at medically relevant yields, furthermore benefiting from the mass separation possibility. A two-step laser resonance ionization scheme was used to obtain mono-atomic Sc ion beams. Sc radionuclide release from irradiated target units most effectively could be promoted by volatile scandium fluoride formation. Thus, isotopically pure 44g/mSc, 46Sc, and 47Sc were obtained as mono-atomic and molecular ScF 2+ ion beams and collected for the first time at CERN-MEDICIS. Among all the investigated target materials, natTiC is the most suitable target material for Sc mass separation as molecular halide beams, due to high possible operating temperatures and sustained release.

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5

Scandium thermal release from activated natTi and natV target materials in mixed particle fields: Investigation of parameters relevant for isotope mass separation

Edgars Mamis, Patrīcija Kalniņa · 2024

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in...

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References

Details

Published: Mar 18, 2024
Vol/Issue: 17(3)
Pages: 390
License: View

Authors

E

Edgars Mamis

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Esplanade des Particules 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; Institute of Chemical Physics (ICP), University of Latvia, Jelgavas Street 1, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia

C

Charlotte Duchemin

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Esplanade des Particules 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

V

Valentina Berlin

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Esplanade des Particules 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

C

Cyril Bernerd

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Esplanade des Particules 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

M

Mathieu Bovigny

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Esplanade des Particules 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

E

Eric Chevallay

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Esplanade des Particules 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

B

Bernard Crepieux

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Esplanade des Particules 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

V

Vadim Maratovich Gadelshin

Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg Universität, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany

R

Reinhard Heinke

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Esplanade des Particules 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

R

Ronaldo Mendez Hernandez

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Esplanade des Particules 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; Instituto Superior de Tecnologías y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de La Habana (InSTEC-UH), Ave. Salvador Allende No. 1110 e, Infanta y Rancho Boyeros, Plaza de la Revolucion, La Habana 10400, Cuba

J

Jake David Johnson

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Esplanade des Particules 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Physics and Astronomy (IKS), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3010 Heverlee, Belgium

P

Patrīcija Kalniņa

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Esplanade des Particules 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; Institute of Chemical Physics (ICP), University of Latvia, Jelgavas Street 1, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia

A

Alexandros Koliatos

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Esplanade des Particules 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

L

Laura Lambert

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Esplanade des Particules 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

R

Ralf Erik Rossel

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Esplanade des Particules 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

S

Sebastian Rothe

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Esplanade des Particules 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

J

Julien Thiboud

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Esplanade des Particules 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

F

Felix Weber

Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg Universität, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany

K

Klaus Wendt

Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg Universität, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany

R

Rudolfs Jānis Zabolockis

Institute of Chemical Physics (ICP), University of Latvia, Jelgavas Street 1, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia

E

Elīna Pajuste

Institute of Chemical Physics (ICP), University of Latvia, Jelgavas Street 1, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia

T

Thierry Stora

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Esplanade des Particules 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

Funding

European Union’s Horizon 2020 Award: lzp-2021/1-0539

Latvian Council of Science Award: lzp-2021/1-0539

Cite This Article

Edgars Mamis, Charlotte Duchemin, Valentina Berlin, et al. (2024). Target Development towards First Production of High-Molar- Activity 44gSc and 47Sc by Mass Separation at CERN-MEDICIS. Pharmaceuticals, 17(3), 390. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17030390

Target Development towards First Production of High-Molar- Activity 44gSc and 47Sc by Mass Separation at CERN-MEDICIS

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