IMPROVED AMERICIUM TARGETS FOR BASIC SCIENCE MEASUREMENTS
Category: Research Poster
Author(s): Jaiden Graham, Ralf Sudowe
Presenter(s): Jaiden Graham
Mentors(s): Raissa Chunko
Electrodeposition was studied as a method for producing targets for neutron capture experiments. Two electrolyte-buffer systems – ammonium sulfate and sodium bisulfate - were used to plate americium-241. Each buffer was tested using varying amperage and time allowed to plate on 2 cm stainless steel discs. The effectiveness of plating in each electrolyte system was assessed by alpha spectrometry and compared to a stippled reference sample with identical geometry. Surface plate homogeneity was also assessed with autoradiography. Preliminary results indicated that the highest yields were obtained in sodium bisulfate buffer and ammonium sulfate buffer, at an amperage of 0.5 to 0.6 and a plate time of 120 minutes. These findings may be used to optimize the americium-241 targets for neutron capture experiments and may be applicable to smaller steel substrates.