Production of 203Pb from enriched 205Tl using deuteron beams.

Lead-203 is a SPECT emitter that can be used in theranostic applications as an imaging counterpart of lead-212 which is intended to be used for alpha therapy as lead-212/bismuth-212 in-vivo generator. In our study, we explore the production of lead-203 using enriched thallium-205 target irradiated by a deuteron beam. Excitation functions of deuteron induced reactions leading to the formation of 204m,203m2+m1+g,202m,201m+gPb, 202Tl and 203m+gHg isotopes were determined experimentally in the energy range from 21 MeV to 34 MeV. Cross sections were measured using the stacked foils technique and a set of two monitor foils, natNi and natTi for beam intensity evaluation. The experimental excitation functions of the investigated reactions were compared with the published data and also with the TENDL-2021 nuclear database. From our experimental data, we calculated lead-203 thick target yield in the energy range between 30 MeV and 32.5 MeV to be 56.7 MBq/µAh ±6.1 MBq/µAh. This value is compatible with large batch production showing that deuteron beams can be used for a routine production process. However, special attention must be paid to 203Hg and other lead contaminants.

Study of terbium production from enriched Gd targets via the reaction 155Gd(d,2n)155Tb.

The terbium (Tb) family has attracted much attention in recent years thanks to the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of the quadruplet 149Tb, 152Tb, 155Tb and 161Tb. However, the scarce availability of Tb radioisotopes is one of the main reasons hindering its clinical applications. To increase its availability, this work proposes to use enriched gadolinium (Gd) targets to produce some Tb radioisotopes (149Tb, 152Tb, and 155Tb) via deuteron-induced reactions in cyclotrons. The production of the Auger and gamma emitter 155Tb was chosen as a case study because the 155Gd enrichment (92.8%) is the highest available from all Gd stable isotopes. The involved reaction is 155Gd(d,2n)155Tb. Using enriched thin Gd-containing targets, cross-sections of the reactions 155Gd(d,x)153,154,155,156Tb have been measured at the GIP ARRONAX cyclotron facility with a beam energy ranging from 8 MeV to 30 MeV. This measurement allows for estimating the production yield and the purity of 155Tb, and for determining the irradiation parameters for large production batches. A thick enriched 155Gd2O3 target has been then irradiated with an incident energy of 15.1 MeV and a beam current of 368 nA for 1 h. The production yield of 155Tb is 10.2 MBq/µA/h at End Of Bombardment (EOB) and the purity is 89% after 14 days of decay. These experimental values are consistent with estimation based on measured cross-sections. A comparison of the deuteron-induced and proton-induced production routes is also presented in this paper.

Can we reach suitable 161Tb purity for medical applications using the 160Gd(d,n) reaction?

Terbium is a chemical element that has several radioactive isotopes with suitable physical characteristics to be used in medical applications either for imaging or for therapy. This makes terbium a promising element to implement the theranostic approach. For therapeutic applications, 161Tb (T1/2 = 6.89 d) is suitable for targeted ß-therapy. The main production route is through neutron capture reaction in nuclear reactors. In this work, we explored an alternative production route, the 160Gd(d,n)161Tb reaction. We have measured its production cross-section as well as those of possible co-produced contaminants, with a special focus on 160Tb (T1/2 = 72.3 d). To achieve this, cross-section measurements were made from natural gadolinium target. Production yields of 10.3 MBq/µA/h for the 161Tb and 1.5 MBq/µA/h for the 160Tb were obtained at 20 MeV. A161Tb radionuclidic purity of 86% was achieved over the 8 MeV-20 MeV energy range. The co-production of other terbium isotopes limits the interest of using higher energies. Based on the limited purity of 161Tb using the 160Gd(d,n)161Tb reaction, we conclude that it is not a production route suitable for medical applications. Although, this may be reconsidered when mass separation technique with high efficiency will be available.

Electrochemical co-deposition of Ni-Gd2O3 for composite thin targets preparation: Production of 155Tb as a case study.

In the last years, 155Tb has attracted enormous interest due to its potential role in theranostics in nuclear medicine. To estimate its production yield, the aim of this study was to develop a method to prepare thin Gd-enriched-containing targets aimed at the 155Gd(d, 2n)155Tb nuclear cross section measurement. To this end, the electrochemical co-deposition method has been chosen to manufacture Ni-Gd2O3 composite targets. Several process parameters that have an impact on the deposit quality, have been investigated to increase the incorporation of Gd mass (up to 3 mg). To validate the concept, seven targets made by natural Gd were irradiated with deuteron beams at the GIP ARRONAX facility cyclotron, with an energy range ranging from 8 MeV to 30 MeV to extract the cross section values by using the stacked-foils method. Results obtained turned out to have great consistency with existing published data thus validating the proposed method. Therefore, an alternative target manufacturing concept aimed at cross section measurement is presented in this work.

Is 70Zn(d,x)67Cu the Best Way to Produce 67Cu for Medical Applications?

The pair of copper radionuclides 64Cu/67Cu (T1/2 = 12. 7 h/61.8 h) allows, respectively, PET imaging and targeted beta therapy. An analysis of the different production routes of 67Cu with charged particles was performed and the reaction 70Zn(d,x) route was identified as a promising one. It may allow the production of 67Cu without 64Cu. The production cross section has been measured up to 28.7 MeV. Measurements were done using the well-known stacked-foils technique using 97.5% enriched 70Zn homemade electroplated targets. These measurements complement at higher incident energies the only set of data available in nuclear databases. The results show that using a 26 MeV deuteron beam and a highly enriched 70Zn target, it is possible to produce high purity 67Cu comparable to that obtained using photoproduction. This production route can be of interest for future linear accelerators under development where mA deuteron beams can be available if adequate targetry is developed.

Production of Sc medical radioisotopes with proton and deuteron beams.

Proton and deuteron beams (15.3 and 6.8 MeV, respectively) extracted from the PETtrace medical cyclotron at the Radiopharmaceuticals Production and Research Centre in the University of Warsaw, Heavy Ion Laboratory, 28 MeV protons from the C30 cyclotron at the National Centre for Nuclear Research, Swierk, near Warsaw and 33 MeV protons from the ARRONAX accelerator, Nantes were used to produce and investigate the medically interesting Sc radioisotopes. Both natural and isotopically enriched CaCO3 and TiO2 targets were used (42Ca, 43Ca, 44Ca, 48Ca, 48Ti). The production efficiency and isotopic purity were determined and are reported here for the highest commercially available enrichments of the target material. The Thick Target Yield, Activities at the End of Bombardment (EOB) and the relative activities of produced impurities at EOB are reported for 43Sc, 44gSc, 44mSc and 47Sc produced with particle energies below 33 MeV.