A novel technique for the production of robust actinide targets

The availability and production of targets for experiments in either fundamental or applied studies in nuclear science are critical to the success of a given measurement. Targetry and methods have essentially remained unchanged for more than 5 or 6 decades. Also, making targets with rare and often prohibitively expensive materials has not been an option due to the low efficiency of the available methods. This is especially true for rare and sometimes radioactive actinide materials.

I will report on new methods in target production techniques adopted from the latest developments in materials science. These include solution combustion reactions and electrospraying to produce thin actinide targets that are robust, uniform, and cost-efficient. We use the electrospray method to deposit chemically reactive layers that can be converted to smooth actinide oxide layers by simple heat treatments. Further work involves the irradiation of the targets to increase their stability in experimental use. We have tested targets made from depleted Uranium on pure aluminum backing and thin carbon backing in experiments at the LANSCE facility at LANL using the DANCE detector array to measure the emitted gamma-rays and the twin Frisch-gridded ionization chamber (FGIC) at WNR to measure the average total kinetic energy (TKE) of correlated fission fragments of ²³⁸U as a function of incident neutron energy. Preliminary results will be presented from both experiments.