DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH TEMPERATURE AND MASS-SEPARATION METHODS FOR SELECTIVE PRODUCTION OF MEDICAL RADIONUCLIDES

Abstract

At the National Research Center Kurchatov Institute – Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute (Gatchina, Russia) a cyclotron C-80 designed to produce protons with the energy of 40–80 MeV and beam intensity of 100 μA (first stage) has been launched. One of the beams of the cyclotron will be used for the treatment of malignant eye tumors. At the same time the main goal of C-80 is the production of a wide range of medical radionuclides for diagnostics and therapy. For this purpose, the construction of the RIC-80 (Radioactive Isotopes on the C-80 cyclotron) complex intended to function on the C-80 beam has been planned. A brief description of the RIC-80 complex is given, and the results of the use of new methods and studies of target devices for the production of radionuclide generator 212Pb/212Bi and 223Ra, 224Ra, 225Ac radioisotopes that undergo alpha-decay are discussed. The suggestions of the mass-separator use in the on-line and semi on-line mode to obtain high isotopic purity radionuclides, which is especially important for medical applications, are discussed. The results of a new hightemperature method use of lutetium radionuclide separation from the ytterbium target material in a high vacuum are