Comparison of microprecipitation methods for polonium source preparation for alpha spectrometry

Abstract

Detection of radioactive isotopes of polonium is important for understanding natural processes, management and assessment of radioactive waste, and nuclear forensics applications. The most common methods for preparation of polonium samples for alpha spectrometry are electrodeposition and spontaneous deposition which are time consuming. Here, we compare three approaches utilizing rapid microprecipitation from bismuth phosphate, copper sulfide, or tellurium alongside traditional spontaneous deposition methods. From these experiments, results show that copper sulfide microprecipitation recoveries are similar to spontaneous deposition on silver and less time consuming with an approximate five-fold decrease in preparation time, including in the presence of complex matrices like seawater.