Use of an ion mobility spectrometer for detecting uranium compounds

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Nuclear Safeguards
• Spectrometry

Background:

• Current safeguards methods lack real-time chemical speciation capabilities for radioactive and non-radioactive compounds during inspections.
• Chemical speciation provides critical data for environmental sampling and guides inspector focus.
• Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) is a field-ready technique, traditionally used for organic compounds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of using a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) instrument for rapid, in-situ chemical speciation of solid uranium compounds.
• To determine if IMS can identify uranium compounds directly from sample swipes without complex sample preparation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) instrument.
• Employed electrospray ionization (ESI) adapted for inorganic compounds.
• Tested direct analysis of solid uranium compounds from sample swipes, investigating volatilization and ionization from solid matrices.

Main Results:

• Successfully demonstrated the capability of a COTS IMS instrument to identify solid uranium compounds directly after sampling with a swipe.
• The developed method provides real-time chemical speciation information crucial for inspection activities.
• Showcased the potential for adapting IMS, a technique known for organic analysis, to inorganic and radioactive material characterization.

Conclusions:

• A COTS IMS system can be effectively utilized for the direct, rapid identification of solid uranium compounds in a field setting.
• This advancement offers a significant improvement for nuclear safeguards by enabling real-time chemical speciation during inspections.
• The findings support the broader application of IMS for analyzing diverse chemical forms relevant to safeguards and security.