Comparison of 192Os(p,n)192Ir and 192Os(d,2n)192Ir Nuclear Reactions for 192Ir Production

Abstract

Ir ) is a radionuclide currently suggested for brachyteraphy. One of the methods employed to produce high purity 192 Ir is by irradiation of Os) target using cyclotron. The success of 192 Ir radionuclide production in cyclotrons requires deep understanding of irradiation parameters, including particle energy, target preparation and thickness, particle beam curent and irradiation time. Therefore, theoretical calculations of the 192 Ir radioactivity yields should be carried out as a preliminary measure for more efficient 192 Ir production. In this study, 192 Ir production was simulated using the SRIM 2013 program to determine the optimum target thickness while the nuclear cross-section data were extracted from TENDL 2017. Two nuclear reactions for 192 Ir production yield calculations were compared, i.e., 192 Os(p,n) 192 Ir and 192 Os(d,2n) 192 Ir. The radioactivity yields for 192 Os(p,n) 192 Ir nuclear reaction was found to be lower than 192 Os(d,2n) 192 Ir reaction. For proton and deuteron energy of 30 MeV, the maximum radioactivity yield was 6.79 GBq for 192 Os(p,n) 192 Ir and 26.14 GBq for 192 Os(d,2n) 192 Ir. Several radionuclide impurities such as 191m Ir, 190 Ir, 191 Os and 189 Re were predicted to be generated during 192 Os(p,n) 192 Ir reaction for proton incident energy between 1 and 30 MeV; meanwhile, 192 Ir, 191m Ir, 193 Os, 193m Ir, 192m Os and 191 Os radionuclides were expected to contaminate during 192 Os(d,2n) 192 Ir reaction for deuteron energy between 1 and 30 MeV. Results of this study can be used as a reference for future 192 Ir radionuclide production when proton or deuteron beams are considered to be employed.