Assessment and estimation of

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Physics
• Radiochemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Zinc-65 (65Zn) is valuable in medicine, agriculture, and industry due to its favorable decay characteristics.
• Efficient production methods for 65Zn are crucial for its widespread application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To produce 65Zn via neutron irradiation of zinc oxide targets.
• To theoretically calculate the excitation function and neutron distribution for 65Zn production.
• To compare experimental and theoretical production yields of 65Zn.

Main Methods:

• Neutron irradiation of natural zinc oxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles targets at the Tehran Research Reactor (TRR).
• Calculation of the 64Zn(n,γ)65Zn reaction's excitation function using the TALYS-1.8 code.
• Simulation of thermal neutron distribution using the MCNPX code.
• Estimation of theoretical 65Zn production yield based on cross-section and neutron distribution data.

Main Results:

• Successful production of 65Zn was achieved through neutron irradiation.
• The excitation function and thermal neutron distribution were theoretically determined.
• Experimental 65Zn production yield showed good agreement with simulated values.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully produced 65Zn and validated the production methodology through theoretical calculations.
• The findings support the use of the Tehran Research Reactor for 65Zn production.
• The agreement between experimental and simulated yields provides confidence in the applied nuclear modeling techniques.