Speaker
Description
Isotope Separation Online (ISOL) facilities generate purified radioactive isotope beams for research in fundamental nuclear and atomic physics, condensed-matter, biology and medical applications. As part of the first phase of the MYRRHA program at SCK CEN, a new ISOL facility is being developed, ISOL@MYRRHA, featuring a high-power 100-MeV proton beam with currents up to 500 μA. This will enable the production of relevant isotopes for medical research, including 225Ac, which is highly targeted for cancer research. This work focuses on the development of thorium-based targets, initially on ThO2 engineered with pore formers and later on ThCx, optimized for efficient isotope release at extreme temperatures 2000 °C. Key material properties for refractory-isotope release include micrometer-scaled open porosity (>30%) and small grain size (<10 µm) stable at the above-mentioned elevated temperatures. Highly-porous ThO2 targets were produced from ThO₂ powder synthesized via oxalate precipitation from Th(NO3)4. The resulting powder consisted of platelets with varying micrometric dimensions. ThO2 powder was mixed with pore formers in different volume ratios, then pelletized, thermally treated in air, and sintered in a reducing atmosphere. The process parameters were adjusted to achieve the desired density and grain size using pore formers. The thermal stability of ThO2 was tested for 24 h above 2000 °C in vacuum, at CERN-ISOLDE. Remarkably, small grain sizes and porosity survived these extreme conditions, demonstrating the material’s robustness as an ISOL target. In this contribution, we present the structure of several engineered ThO2 prototypes and their evolution after exposure to temperatures above 2000 °C.
| Email address | lisa.gubbels@sckcen.be |
|---|---|
| Supervisor's Name | Joao Pedro Ramos |
| Supervisor's email | joao.pedro.ramos@sckcen.be |
| Funding Agency | SCK CEN |
| Classification | Isotope production, target, and ion source techniques |
