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Determination of uranium-238 in solid materials of various compositions by instrumental neutron activation analysis with a radionuclide neutron source based on Cf-252

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Abstract

The possibility of determining the 238U content in solid samples of various compositions by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) with a radionuclide neutron source based on 252Cf was shown. The method is verified for aluminosilicate uranium-containing samples in the range from 10 to 300 ppm. The effect of the samples density and macrocomposition on the results of the uranium content determination by the INAA method was shown. Linear gamma radiation attenuation factor and the thermal neutrons interaction macroscopic cross section were calculated for studied samples. The applied approach makes it possible to take into account the influence of the sample’s density and macrocomposition and apply INAA for the uranium determination to a wide range of samples with various compositions.

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Acknowledgements

The work was carried out within the framework of the State Order of the Institute of Chemistry of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, project No. FWFN (0205)-2023-0002. The equipment of the Far Eastern Structural Research Center was used in the present work.

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  1. Institute of Chemistry, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 100-Letya Vladivostoka Prosprosp., 159, Vladivostok, Russia, 690022

    Sergei Ivannikov, Nikita Markin, Andrey Golub & Veniamin Zheleznov

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  1. Sergei Ivannikov
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  2. Nikita Markin
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  4. Veniamin Zheleznov
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Correspondence to Sergei Ivannikov.

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Ivannikov, S., Markin, N., Golub, A. et al. Determination of uranium-238 in solid materials of various compositions by instrumental neutron activation analysis with a radionuclide neutron source based on Cf-252. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 332, 3753–3761 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-023-09076-z

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