Abstract.
Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) was optimised for characterisation of uranium- and plutonium-containing particles in soils, swipes and forensic samples. This was done by analysing in-house produced spherical UO2-particles. Screening techniques as α-autoradiography together with SIMS analysis were employed to detect UO2-particles in a soil sample from Chernobyl.
The use of SIMS was exploited for the identification of uranium- and plutonium-containing particles and for the determination of their isotopic composition. The particles collected on swipe samples were transferred to a special adhesive support for the analysis by SIMS. Particles containing highly enriched uranium with diameters up to 10 μm were also detected in a forensic sample. For the measurements of the isotopic ratios a mass resolution of 1000 was used. At this resolution flat-top peaks were obtained which greatly improve the accuracy of the measurement. The isotopic composition of the particles was measured with a typical accuracy and precision of 0.5%. Statistically meaningful results can be obtained, for instance, from a specimen containing as few as 1010 atoms/μm3 of uranium in particles of UO2 weighing a few picograms.
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Tamborini, G., Betti, M. Characterisation of Radioactive Particles by SIMS. Mikrochim Acta 132, 411–417 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s006040050088
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s006040050088