Characterizing uranium oxide reference particles for isotopic abundances and uranium mass by single particle isotope dilution mass spectrometry

112

Mass spectrometry is currently being implemented in a wide spectrum of research and industrial areas, such as materials science, cosmo-and geochemistry, biology and medicine, to name just a few. Research and development in nuclear safeguards is closely related to the general field of "Peace Research", representing a specific application area for analytical sciences in general and for mass spectrometry in particular. According to Albert Einstein "peace cannot be kept by force. It only can be achieved by understanding". Understanding implies a realistic estimation of potential challenges and threats, which is based on the ability to obtain timely, reliable and independent information. A particular task of international nuclear material safeguards is reducing threats that are posed by the proliferation of nuclear weapons. An important part of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards system is the "analytical laboratory", with mass spectrometric techniques, such as thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) belonging to the most powerful methods for the analysis of nuclear material and environmental samples collected during inspections. Each of the currently applied techniques provides definite merits (e.g. precision, accuracy, timeeffectiveness, high sensitivity, spatial resolution, reduced molecular interference, etc.) for a specific safeguards related application. Thus, taking advantage of each technique helps the analyst to gain a larger quantity of safeguards-relevant information. Along with the analysis of element amounts and isotopic compositions of uranium and plutonium in nuclear material the challenging applications of mass spectrometry include isotopic analysis of micro-samples, age determination of nuclear material as well as identification and quantification of elemental and isotopic signatures of inspection samples in general.Analysis of inspection samples implies strict quality control procedures and it demands the production of suitable certified isotopic reference materials which are used as calibration standards or as quality control samples. This manuscript discusses merits and limitations of presently available mass spectrometric

Section: Quality Control and Reference Materials For Safeguards Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mass spectrometric analysis for nuclear safeguards

Boulyga

Konegger-Kappel

Stephan³

et al. 2015

112

“…Several mass bias correction procedures were evaluated and a combination of thallium normalization and standard bracketing was optimal. Precisions were 0.0039, 0.0014 and 0.0012% and accuracies (in parts per thousand) were 0.001, 0.001 and 0.004 for 208 Pb/ 204 Pb, 207 Pb/ 204 and 206 Pb/ 204 Pb, respectively for the analysis of NIST SRM 981. The other paper 77 also used an acid digestion but then derivatized the Pb using tetraethylborate forming tetraethyl lead.…”

Section: Fuels and Lubricantsmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…A second application, this time by Abrego et al, 148 described the development of a LA-ICP-MS method for the unambiguous characterization of gunshot residue. Tape lis were used to collect the residues from skin surfaces and these were then analysed for their 121 Sb, 137 Ba and 208 Pb content. Several other analytes, e.g.…”

Section: Inorganic Chemicals and Acidsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atomic spectrometry update: review of advances in the analysis of metals, chemicals and materials

Carter

Clough

Fisher

et al. 2020

“…New measurement tools for nuclear safeguards will require new RMs to allow comparability of measurements by commonly used techniques such as LA-ICP-MS, SIMS and TIMS. To address this, IRMM, in collaboration with ITU, initiated a study 48 to investigate the feasibility of preparing and characterising a U-particle RM, certied for isotopic abudances and for U-mass per particle. To assist this process an improved ID-TIMS methodology was developed by IRMM to quantify the U-mass in single particles.…”

Section: Instrumental Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

2013 Atomic spectrometry update—A review of advances in environmental analysis

Butler

Cairns

Cook

et al. 2014

This is the 29th annual review of the application of atomic spectrometry to the chemical analysis of environmental samples. This Update refers to papers published approximately between September 2012 and July 2013 and continues the series of Atomic Spectrometry Updates (ASUs) in Environmental Analysis 1 that should be read in conjunction with other related ASUs in the series namely: clinical and biological materials, foods and beverages; 2 advances in atomic spectrometry and related techniques; 3 elemental speciation; 3 X-ray spectrometry 4 and advances in the analysis of metals, chemicals and materials. 5 In the field of air analysis, highlights within this review period include measuring the bioaccessible fraction of metals in particles and ongoing work in assessing the performance of optical and combustion techniques for the determination of the carbonaceous content of airborne