Determination of Production Cross-Section of Zn-65 Using NIRR-1
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33003/fjorae.2026.0301.75Keywords:
Cross-section, Radioisotopes, Thermal neutron, Production Cross-section, NIRR-1Abstract
The unique decay modes of 65Zn, including both its positron emission and electron capture, places it as an important theragnostic radioisotope with emerging application in nuclear medicine, cancer therapy and other similar applications. Comprehensive study of its cross section is therefore of essence in its production technology design and clinical application, especially as it relates with the analysis of its purity and yield. Hence, for this and other emerging radioisotope of interest, a clear protocol needs to be established as part of expanding the overall utilization of Research Reactors to cover this important area of need. In this work, Nigerian Research Reactor 1 (NIRR-1), a Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR), has been utilized in the determination of the neutron induced cross section of 64Zn at thermal energy region. The measurement of the cross section for the production of 65Zn radioisotope via 64Zn(n,γ)65Zn nuclear reaction was carried out at the recator facility at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and shown to be suitable in establishing the protocol for the possibility of expanding utilization of NIRR-1 to medical radioisotope production with the right technical efforts. The thermal neutron cross section obtained for the 64Zn(n,γ)65Zn reaction, given as 1.98E+03 mb, is more than all available retrieved data but within the same order of magnitude and with a standard deviation uncertainty of 98.99495 to 893.0759 when compared with extant studies retrieved from the IAEA standard measured cross section data library. The result indicates promising prospect for the exploration of NIRR-1 for medical radioisotope production.
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