Production of zirconium-88 via proton irradiation of metallic yttrium and preparation of target for neutron transmission measurements at DICER

A process for the production of tens to hundreds of GBq amounts of zirconium-88 ((88)Zr) using proton beams on yttrium was developed. For this purpose, yttrium metal targets (≈20 g) were irradiated in a ~16 to 34 MeV proton beam at a beam current of 100–200 µA at the Los Alamos Isotope Production Facility (IPF). The (88)Zr radionuclide was produced and separated from the yttrium targets using hydroxamate resin with an elution yield of 94(5)% (1σ). Liquid DCl solution in D(2)O was selected as a suitable (88)Zr sample matrix due to the high neutron transmission of deuterium compared to hydrogen and an even distribution of (88)Zr in the sample matrix. The separated (88)Zr was dissolved in DCl and 8 µL of the obtained solution was transferred to a tungsten sample can with a 1.2 mm diameter hole using a syringe and automated filling station inside a hot cell. Neutron transmission of the obtained (88)Zr sample was measured at the Device for Indirect Capture Experiments on Radionuclides (DICER).