Experimental cross sections and production feasibility of ⁶¹Cu via ⁵⁹Co(α, 2n) for PET imaging using medium-energy...

The radionuclide ⁶¹Cu is a promising positron emitter for PET imaging. We investigated its production via the ⁵⁹Co(α, 2n)⁶¹Cu reaction in the energy range 14-59 MeV using the stacked-foil technique. Excitation functions for ⁶¹Cu and co-produced radionuclides (⁶⁰Cu, ^56--58,60,61Co, ⁵⁹Fe, ⁵⁴Mn) were measured by HPGe γ-spectrometry and compared with TALYS 1.96 predictions and previous datasets. Thick Target Yields (TTY) and radionuclidic purity (RNP) were calculated for different irradiation conditions. Results show that high-yield and high-purity ⁶¹Cu production is achievable at 45 MeV on a 226μm thick Co target (TTY^EOB≈ 840 MBq μA^{\protect \relax \special {t4ht=-}1}, RNP >99.9% after 3 h irradiation and 3.4 h waiting time) and feasible with emerging 30 MeV α-accelerators using a 76μm thick Co target (TTY^EOB≈ 420 MBq μA^{\protect \relax \special {t4ht=-}1}, RNP > 99.9% after 3 h irradiation and 1.8 h waiting time). These findings support cost-effective production using inexpensive cobalt targets, reducing reliance on enriched materials. Practical implications for routine supply and synergy with α-accelerators designed for ²¹¹At are discussed.