ABSTRACT
Quantifying 64Cu in post-detonation nuclear debris samples can provide important diagnostic information regarding the structural materials used within a nuclear device. However, this task is challenging due to the weak gamma emissions associated with the decay of 64Cu, its short half-life (12.701 h), and the presence of interfering fission product radioisotopes. Large quantities of debris sample are generally needed to accurately quantify 64Cu, which can be problematic in sample-limited scenarios where other radiometric analyses are required. Herein, we present a new method for the separation of 64Cu from solutions of mixed fission products and demonstrate the quantification of its activity through use of gas-flow proportional beta counting. The new method was validated through a series of rigorous tests and was shown to improve the detection limit of 64Cu by over two orders of magnitude, from 2.5 × 106 to 1.3 × 104 atoms/sample for 100 min measurements.
ABSTRACT
A method has been developed to purify and measure platinum radioisotopes in the presence of fission products and environmental constituents. The method uses a combination of cation exchange and anion exchange chromatography and selective precipitation steps to remove other radioisotopes from the sample. The addition of stable platinum carrier allows for a gravimetric determination of the chemical yield of the procedure. Overall, the method is fast, simple, and potentially applicable for rapid turnaround of unknown samples. Using this method, multiple platinum radioisotopes were measured in two different irradiation experiments. The measured ratios of the platinum radioisotopes clearly reflect the neutron spectrum of the irradiation, suggesting that platinum radioisotopes could be valuable signatures in nuclear forensic analyses.
