Manufacturing and characterization of molybdenum pellets used as targets for Tc-99m production in cyclotron

作者：Cieszykowska Izabela^*; Janiak Tomasz; Barcikowski Tadeusz; Mielcarski Mieczyslaw; Mikolajczak Renata; Choinski Jaroslaw; Barlak Marek; Kurpaska Lukasz

来源：Applied Radiation and Isotopes, 2017, 124: 124-131.

DOI：10.1016/j.apradiso.2017.03.006

• Molybdenum
• Tc-99m
• Target for irradiation
• Sintering
• Cyclotron
• Functional properties

The method of Mo-100 metallic target preparation for production of Tc-99m by proton irradiation in Mo-100 (p,2 n)Tc-99m reaction was demonstrated. For this purpose, pressing of molybdenum powder into pellets and their subsequent sintering in reductive atmosphere were applied. The influence of parameters such as molybdenum mass and time of both pressing and sintering on the Mo-100 target durability was investigated. Under the optimized conditions, Mo-100 metallic pellet targets with density of 9.95 +/- 0.06 g/cm(3) were obtained. Morphology and structure of pressed pellets before and after sintering were studied by using standard optical microscope and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Nanoindentation technique was used to investigate the mechanical properties such as nanohardness and Young modulus. Prepared Mo-100 pellets were successfully irradiated with protons and Tc-99m was efficiently isolated.

• 出版日期2017-6