A new method for quantifying ⁶⁴Cu in nuclear debris samples

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Chemistry
• Radiochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Quantifying copper-64 (⁶⁴Cu) in nuclear debris is crucial for diagnosing nuclear device materials.
• Challenges include ⁶⁴Cu's weak gamma emissions, short half-life, and interfering radioisotopes.
• Traditional methods require large sample quantities, posing issues in sample-limited scenarios.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel method for separating ⁶⁴Cu from mixed fission products.
• To improve the detection limits for quantifying ⁶⁴Cu activity in nuclear debris samples.

Main Methods:

• A new chemical separation technique was developed for isolating ⁶⁴Cu.
• Quantification was achieved using gas-flow proportional beta counting.
• The method underwent rigorous validation testing.

Main Results:

• The new separation method effectively isolates ⁶⁴Cu from mixed fission product solutions.
• Detection limits for ⁶⁴Cu were improved by over two orders of magnitude (from 2.5 × 10⁶ to 1.3 × 10⁴ atoms/sample).
• This improvement was demonstrated for 100-minute measurements.

Conclusions:

• The developed method significantly enhances the ability to quantify ⁶⁴Cu in nuclear debris.
• This advancement is particularly valuable for sample-limited scenarios and improves diagnostic capabilities for nuclear devices.