45Ti, a candidate for positron emission tomography: Study of the cyclotron production

Abstract

The nuclear-physical properties of 45Ti (half-life 3.08 h, 85% β+-decay, 15% electron capture, daughter isotope 45Sc) make it suitable for positron emission tomography. 45Ti can be produced at a small cyclotron in a high yield, 450 MBq μA−1 h−1, using the 45Sc(p,n)45Ti nuclear reaction on a natural scandium target. The excitation functions for the 45Sc(p,n)45Ti reaction were calculated by ALICE/91, ALICE/ASH, and TALYS-1.2 codes and compared to the existing data. Deposition of Sc2O3 on a Cu substrate was carried out by two sedimentation methods for the production of 45Ti, and a simple method for radiochemical separation of radiotitanium was suggested. The targets were examined by SEM and subjected to thermal shock test. The optimal thicknesses of target was substantiated, and the production yield for the 45Sc(p,n)45Ti reaction was calculated.