Additively manufactured cobalt combustible absorber capsules

Abstract

A target assembly for producing synthetic radioisotopes of cobalt is provided. The target assembly includes an enclosure and a material to be irradiated. The enclosure defines a cavity therein and is comprised of an enriched material configured to have a short half-life when exposed to a neutron flux. The material to be irradiated is comprised of a precursor of cobalt-60. A method of making the target assembly is also provided.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims the benefit of and priority under 35 U.S.C. Section 120 to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18 / 049,351, filed October 25, 2023, entitled "Additively Manufactured Cobalt Burnable Absorber Capsules," the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0002] Producing synthetic radioisotopes requires inserting target material into a target carrier enclosure and irradiating it within the in-core instrumentation system for a specific irradiation cycle time. After the target carrier enclosure is removed, the irradiated target material can be recovered and processed into synthetic radioisotopes. However, currently available target carrier enclosures can produce long-lived radioisotopes after an irradiation cycle, which may require long-term storage in spent fuel pools until the target carrier components and target material contained therein can be safely handled and / or transported to another location for processing / disposal. Issues related to safety and transportation logistics can contribute to the cost of producing synthetic radioisotopes. There is a need to produce desired radioisotopes without producing unwanted isotopes with long half-lives. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] The following summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of the innovative features unique to the embodiments disclosed herein, but is not intended to be a complete description. A complete understanding of the various embodiments disclosed herein can be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, and abstract as a whole. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In various embodiments, a target assembly for producing synthetic radioisotopes of cobalt is disclosed. In some embodiments, the target assembly includes an enclosure defining a cavity therein and a target material to be irradiated configured to be contained within the cavity of the enclosure. In some embodiments, the enclosure is comprised of a concentrated material configured to have a short half-life when exposed to a neutron flux. In other embodiments, the target material to be irradiated is comprised of a precursor to cobalt-60.

[0005] In various embodiments, methods of making a target assembly are disclosed. In some embodiments, the methods include providing a feedstock to a forming process and using the forming process to create at least one layer of an enclosure of the target assembly from the feedstock. In some embodiments, the feedstock comprises a concentrated metal material.

[0006] These and other objects, features, and characteristics of the present disclosure, as well as the method of operation and function of the associated elements of construction, and combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent from a study of the following description and appended claims, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are to be clearly understood as being for the purposes of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the embodiments disclosed herein. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] The various aspects described herein, together with their objects and advantages, will be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a nuclear reactor core in accordance with at least one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0009] [Figure 2]FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of an enclosure according to at least one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] [Figure 3] FIG. 3 illustrates concentrated material irradiation results showing changes in activity levels, according to at least one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 illustrates concentrated material irradiation results showing changes in activity levels, according to at least one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] [Figure 5] FIG. 5 illustrates concentrated material irradiation results showing changes in activity levels, according to at least one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the various views. The exemplifications set forth herein illustrate various aspects of the present disclosure in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the aspects disclosed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Certain exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described to provide a general understanding of the principles of the compositions, functions, manufacture, and use of the compositions and methods disclosed herein. One or more examples of these embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will understand that the compositions, articles, and methods specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting exemplary embodiments, and that the scope of various examples of the present disclosure is defined only by the claims. Features shown or described with respect to one exemplary embodiment can be combined with features of other embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0015] References herein to "various examples," "several examples," "one example," "one example," etc., mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that example is included in that example. Thus, the appearances of phrases such as "in various examples," "in several examples," "in one example," and "in one example" in various places throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same example. Furthermore, particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more examples. Thus, a particular feature, structure, or characteristic illustrated or described in connection with one example may be combined, in whole or in part, without limitation, with features, structures, or characteristics of one or more other examples. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present examples.

[0016] In the following description, like reference characters in the drawings indicate like or corresponding parts. It should also be understood that in the following description, terms such as "front," "rear," "left," "right," "upper," "lower," "top," "bottom," etc. are used for convenience only and are not to be construed as limiting terms.

[0017] As used herein, the term "enriched material" refers to material that contains at least one stable isotope in an amount greater than that normally found in nature prior to exposure to an intense radiation source. As used herein, the term "isotopically pure" refers to enriched material with a single isotope at a level of greater than 98 mol%, greater than 99 mol%, greater than 99.99 mol%, or about 100 mol%. As used herein, the term "inert material" refers to material that does not participate in chemical and / or nuclear reactions.

[0018] Throughout this specification, the terms "short half-life" and "short-lived radioisotopes" are used for half-lives on the order of days. Throughout this specification, the terms "relatively long half-life" and "long-lived radioisotopes" are used for half-lives on the order of weeks, months, or years.

[0019] Synthetic radioisotopes provide sources of nuclear radiation with known half-lives and may have a variety of commercially relevant industrial and / or medical applications. For example, cobalt-60 (hereinafter "Co-60") has emerged as a promising source of radiation for use in radiation therapy, instrument sterilization, and food spoilage prevention. Co-60 is a relatively long-lived radioisotope of stable cobalt-59 (hereinafter "Co-59") that decays with a half-life of approximately 5.27 years, emitting ionizing radiation, including beta and / or gamma rays. The amount of ionizing radiation produced by a radioisotope is typically quantified as its activity level in curies. Other synthetic radioisotopes with commercial applications include lutetium-177 (hereinafter "Lu-177") and actinium-225 (hereinafter "Ac-225").

[0020] Radioisotopes can be produced by neutron activation processes, in which neutron capture in a precursor of the radioisotope induces an excited radioactive state, resulting in an unstable activation product. For commercially useful radioisotopes, the desired radioisotope can be intentionally produced by irradiating a mass of target material that contains a large proportion of the precursor of the desired radioisotope, or a mass ratio of greater than 25%, greater than 20%, greater than 15%, greater than 10%, greater than 5%, greater than 2.5%, or greater than 1%. For example, Co-60 can be intentionally produced by irradiating a Co-59-based target material with a constant neutron flux.

[0021] In practice, a target assembly comprising the material to be irradiated may be incorporated into a nuclear reactor as a burnable absorber and irradiated for a period of one year or more. A conventional target assembly is prepared by inserting a small slug of the material to be irradiated, such as Co-59, into the open end of a preformed enclosure. The enclosure is then closed, and the resulting target assembly can be used in radioisotope production. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a nuclear reactor core 1 including a fuel assembly 1a according to at least one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure. The fuel assembly 1a can provide neutron flux toward a tubular guide thimble disposed therein, and the interior volume of the guide thimble can be accessed through a bottom penetration 1b. During operation of the nuclear reactor core 1, a target assembly can be inserted into the bottom penetration 1b, positioned within the guide thimble of the fuel assembly 1a, and exposed to a neutron-rich environment, thereby providing neutron flux to the material to be irradiated contained within the enclosure to produce the desired radioisotope. Currently available enclosures are fabricated and / or machined from materials such as stainless steel commonly found in nuclear reactor components.

[0022] Radioisotopes can also be accidentally produced in materials containing small amounts of elements susceptible to neutron capture. For example, in nuclear reactors, irradiated stainless steel core components typically contain trace amounts of Co-60. However, the relatively small percentage of Co-60 in irradiated stainless steel makes it unusable for commercial applications requiring Co-60 as a nuclear radiation source. Furthermore, the Co-60 content in irradiated stainless steel is still sufficient to pose a threat to humans due to the relatively long half-life and decay radiation of Co-60. Therefore, irradiated stainless steel components must be treated as potential high-level radioactive waste and / or must be stored in spent fuel pools for extended periods of time until their activity level is sufficiently low for handling and transportation. The long storage times required for these irradiated components can create resource allocation challenges due to competing radiation sources requiring storage, such as spent fuel assemblies. Furthermore, the disposal of irradiated components must be carefully monitored to avoid downstream contamination and / or contamination of recycled products, including scrap metal.

[0023] Due to the inherent hazards of handling irradiated stainless steel, using currently available enclosures for target assemblies could pose safety hazards to workers and their environment, thereby complicating the transportation logistics, disposal, and / or storage of the enclosures. Accordingly, various aspects of the present disclosure provide various methods and apparatus for producing commercially useful radioisotopes without producing undesirable long-lived radioisotopes, thereby avoiding the logistical issues associated with currently available target assemblies.

[0024] Referring now to FIG. 2 , a cross-sectional view of an enclosure 100 for producing radioisotopes from irradiated material within thimble guide tubes of a nuclear reactor core is shown, in accordance with at least one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure. In some examples, the cross-sectional outer shape of the enclosure 100 may be approximately the same as or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the thimble guide tubes of the nuclear reactor core. For example, the enclosure 100 may be configured in a generally cylindrical tubular shape having an outer diameter of about 0.3 inches, about 0.25 inches, about 0.2 inches, or about 0.15 inches. In certain examples, the enclosure 100 includes an outer wall 100a having an outer diameter and an inner diameter. The enclosure 100 may optionally include an inner layer 100b having an outer diameter and an inner diameter. Other configurations of the enclosure 100 are also contemplated by the present disclosure. For example, in some embodiments, the cross-sectional outer shape of the enclosure 100 may be configured as a hexagonal shape, a rectangular shape, or any other closed polygonal shape.

[0025] In various examples, the enclosure 100 defines a cavity therein. The cavity of the enclosure 100 is configured to contain the material to be irradiated. For example, the cavity may be configured with a cross-sectional shape that is approximately the same as or slightly larger than the cylindrical slug 10 comprising the material to be irradiated. In some examples, the inner diameter of the outer wall 100a defines the cross-sectional shape of the cavity. In examples where the enclosure 100 includes an optional inner layer 100b, the inner diameter of the inner layer 100b defines the cross-sectional shape of the cavity.

[0026] In various examples, the enclosure 100 is constructed of enriched material. In some examples, the enriched material may include precursors of short-lived neutron-activated radioisotopes with half-lives of less than one week, less than five days, or less than one day. In particular examples, the enclosure 100 may be configured to have a short half-life when exposed to neutron flux. For example, a portion of the material in the enclosure 100 that is susceptible to neutron capture may be limited to precursors of short-lived radioisotopes. An enclosure 100 having this configuration may provide the advantage of minimizing downtime before shipping and / or handling after a period of neutron flux irradiation, e.g., the time required to generate medically useful radioisotopes at a given neutron flux, without compromising worker and / or environmental safety. In particular examples, the outer wall 100a of the enclosure 100 may be constructed of enriched material.

[0027] Additionally, the material properties of the enclosure 100 may be configured to reliably contain the irradiated target. For example, the outer wall 100a of the enclosure 100 may include an enriched material in combination with a chemically separable alloy material to optimize mechanical properties, such as strength and / or toughness, and / or chemical properties, such as corrosion resistance. This configuration is particularly advantageous for extending the life of the enclosure 100 if the enclosure 100 is inadvertently exposed to external stresses or if the enclosure 100 is intended to be reused. In some examples, the enclosure 100 comprises an alloy material that is a precursor to a short-lived radioisotope. In a particular example, the enclosure 100 is composed of a specific isotope of an alloy material, such as a specific isotope of copper and / or nickel. Thus, the composition of the enclosure 100 may be configured to provide the benefits of a short half-life upon irradiation without compromising the structural integrity of the enclosure 100 required to securely contain the irradiated material, thereby avoiding the safety, logistical, and / or economic issues associated with employing conventional irradiated target assemblies to produce synthetic radioisotopes.

[0028] The enriched material may be configured as an isotopically pure material. For example, the enriched material may be configured as a precursor for a particular beta-emitting radioisotope having a known half-life. In some examples, the enclosure 100 may include isotopically pure enriched nickel and / or copper. In particular examples, the enclosure 100 may include nickel-64, copper-63, or copper-65. Other configurations are contemplated by the present disclosure. For example, in some embodiments, the enriched material may be configured as a precursor for an alpha-emitting radioisotope, such as an isotope of lead, thallium, and / or bismuth.

[0029] Because isotopically pure enriched materials do not contain multiple isotopes of a given element, irradiating them with a constant neutron flux can produce specific radioisotopes of that element with a predetermined activity level and / or decay mode. For example, irradiating an enclosure 100 containing copper-65-based enriched materials produces copper-66, which undergoes beta decay with a half-life of less than one hour. Regarding specific activity, Figures 3-5 show the theoretical specific activities (units: curies / g) of nickel-65, copper-64, and copper-66 as a function of time following irradiation of nickel-64, copper-63, or copper-65, respectively. Thus, the composition of enclosure 100 can be configured to provide predictable decay behavior, thereby facilitating optimization of the logistics involved in handling the irradiated assembly after irradiation.

[0030] Because copper-64, copper-66, and nickel-65 have emerged as effective radiopharmaceuticals for cancer treatment, an enclosure 100 constructed of copper-63, copper-65, or nickel-64 can itself be a source of medical radioisotope when irradiated by a neutron flux, while also providing a housing for the desired irradiated material. When an enclosure containing one of these enriched materials is used to produce a first synthetic radioisotope, such as Co-60, an activated form of the enriched material is produced within the timeframe of the irradiation period associated with the production of the first synthetic radioisotope, resulting in a second synthetic radioisotope with significant activity levels. For example, as shown in Figures 3-5, a 5x10 13 neutrons / cm 2 By irradiating nickel-64, copper-63, or copper-65 under a constant neutron flux of -s for an irradiation period of about four days, about one day, or less than one day, the theoretical maximum specific activity of nickel-64, copper-63, or copper-65 can be achieved. Thus, incorporating an enclosure 100 comprising nickel-64, copper-63, or copper-65 in a process for producing Co-60 can increase the amount and / or variety of synthetic radioisotopes produced compared to processes using conventional enclosures without significantly changing the process parameters.

[0031] The present disclosure also provides a target assembly for producing synthetic radioisotopes. The target assembly includes an enclosure and a material to be irradiated disposed within a cavity of the enclosure. The target assembly enclosure is similar in many respects to other enclosures described elsewhere in this disclosure, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail again here. In various examples, the enclosure includes an outer wall constructed of an enriched material. In some examples, the enclosure may be constructed of an alloy of the enriched material. In some examples, the enclosure may include multiple layers surrounding a cavity. The target assembly enclosure may be constructed similarly to the enclosure 100 described above. Thus, the target assembly enclosure may be configured to securely contain the material to be irradiated and be inserted into a thimble guide tube of an operating nuclear reactor core without becoming a long-lived radioisotope. Furthermore, the enriched material of the enclosure may be constructed as an isotopically pure material so that its decay behavior after an irradiation period is predictable. For example, the enriched material may be based on nickel-64, copper-63, and / or copper-65. In this manner, the target assembly enclosure may be configured to minimize and / or optimize the time between irradiation and handling of the irradiated target assembly without the post-irradiation safety and logistical issues associated with conventional enclosures.

[0032] In various examples, the target material of the target assembly includes a precursor of a first radioisotope, and the cavity is configured to surround the target material. The first radioisotope may be a synthetic radioisotope and / or a medical radioisotope. For example, the target material may include a precursor of Co-60, such as Co-59. In some examples, the target material may be configured as one or more slugs having a cross-sectional shape smaller than or approximately the same as the internal cavity defined by the enclosure. In configurations where the target material is a slug, the length of each slug may be less than half the length of the internal cavity defined by the enclosure. Thus, multiple target materials having this configuration may be disposed within the enclosure. Thus, by containing an irradiation target material, including a precursor to Co-60, within an enclosure constructed of nickel-64, copper-63, and / or copper-65, the process of producing synthetic radioisotopes can provide multiple synthetic radioisotope outputs without requiring multiple irradiation cycles and / or multiple target assemblies.

[0033] In some examples, the irradiated material and the concentrated material of the enclosure may be separated by a layer of inert material. The layer of inert material provides a barrier to physical and / or chemical interactions between the irradiated material and the enclosure, facilitating their separation during any post-irradiation processing. Because synthetic radioisotopes begin to decay without an appropriate radiation source, delays after extraction of the target assembly during the neutron activation process may result in a lower activity level of the desired radioisotope upon arrival at its final destination, particularly in the case of short-lived pharmaceutical radioisotopes. In this manner, a target assembly configured with a layer of inert material may maintain a boundary between the irradiated material and the enclosure during the irradiation cycle, thereby optimizing the activity level available for the pharmaceutical radioisotope and / or reducing the time required for preparation for shipment.

[0034] As described herein, a target assembly including an irradiated target material and an enclosure composed of enriched material may be incorporated into a method for producing radioisotopes. For example, a method for producing synthetic radioisotopes may include inserting a target assembly into a thimble guide tube, irradiating the target assembly with a neutron flux, and withdrawing the irradiated target assembly from the thimble guide tube to produce one or more synthetic radioisotopes. In some examples, the enriched material before irradiation may include nickel-64, copper-63, and / or copper-65. In one example, the irradiated target material comprises Co-60. In one example, the method includes transporting the one or more synthetic radioisotopes within one week, five days, three days, two days, one day, or the same day after withdrawal of the target assembly. The method for producing radioisotopes may optionally include post-processing the target assembly after withdrawal of the target assembly. For example, chemical treatment and / or mechanical separation may be performed on one or more synthetic radioisotopes to facilitate their transport or administration.

[0035] As discussed elsewhere in this disclosure, in processes for producing synthetic radioisotopes, target assemblies may be composed of various combinations of irradiated target materials and concentrated materials to provide multiple product streams and / or short half-life enclosures. Thus, the irradiated target materials and / or irradiated enclosures of a target assembly used in the production of pharmaceutical radioisotopes may each be composed of one or more pharmaceutical radioisotopes at the time of irradiation and / or extraction. Thus, as described above, the use of target irradiation assemblies in methods for producing pharmaceutical radioisotopes may increase process flexibility and / or reduce downtime of irradiated enclosures, thereby avoiding logistical and / or safety issues associated with conventional enclosures.

[0036] The present disclosure provides a method for fabricating a target assembly. The method for fabricating the target assembly includes providing a feedstock to a forming process and using the forming process to fabricate at least one layer of an enclosure for the target assembly from the feedstock. In various examples, the feedstock includes a condensed material. In some examples, the at least one layer fabricated by the forming process may include an outer wall of the enclosure for the target assembly. In certain examples, the at least one layer fabricated by the forming process may define a cavity therein. In one example, the forming process fabricates an outer wall defining a cavity configured to accommodate at least one slug comprised of the irradiated material. For example, the cavity may be configured to have a cross-sectional shape that is approximately the same as or slightly larger than the slug comprised of the irradiated material. The length of the cavity may be configured to be approximately the same as or slightly larger than the length of the at least one slug.

[0037] In various examples, the source enriched material is a metallic material. In some examples, the enriched material may include an isotopically pure metallic material. In particular examples, the enriched metallic material may include nickel-64, copper-63, and / or copper-65. The composition of the source enriched material may be configured similarly to the other enriched materials of the enclosure described above. Thus, the source material may be configured to provide an outer wall of the enclosure to reliably contain the irradiated material without becoming a long-lived radioisotope after irradiation.

[0038] The methods for making the target assemblies may be adapted to incorporate source material in various forms. For example, the source material may be configured as a powdered or granular condensed metal material. In example methods in which the source material is in powder form, the forming process may be configured to incorporate an additive manufacturing process. In some examples, the forming process may include powder bed melting and / or laser metal deposition. In particular examples, the forming process may include electron beam melting, selective laser melting, and / or direct metal laser sintering. Other configurations of the source material are also contemplated by the present disclosure. For example, in some examples, the source material may be configured as a wire, rod, or other continuously transportable form.

[0039] A forming process incorporating additive manufacturing can optimize the tolerance, size, and / or shape of the enclosure and / or the cavity defined therein to accommodate various amounts and / or shapes of irradiated material while minimizing voids therein. Additionally, because additive manufacturing does not rely on material removal to achieve specific shapes or features, its incorporation into the forming process can minimize the amount of source material required to create a given component shape, thereby avoiding the unnecessary waste of expensive, enriched materials, such as isotopically pure copper and / or nickel. Thus, methods of making target assemblies can avoid wasteful and / or costly manufacturing practices without sacrificing process flexibility.

[0040] The method for making a target insert assembly may incorporate a core. For example, at least one layer of the enclosure may be formed around the core comprising at least one irradiated material. In some examples, the at least one irradiated material comprises precursors of Co-60, Lu-177, and / or Ac-225. In some examples, the core is configured as one or more slugs composed of the irradiated material. In some examples, at least one layer of the enclosure is formed around an inert outer layer of the core comprising at least one irradiated material.

[0041] In an example method in which at least one layer is formed around a core, the forming process may be adapted to create an enclosure layer around and / or directly on the outer surface of the core for incorporation into the target assembly. For example, if additive manufacturing is incorporated into the forming process, at least a portion of the core's known outer surface shape may be incorporated into the method as a supporting substrate for the enclosure layer to be formed around or on it. This configuration of the forming process allows for the creation of a closed structure around the core, eliminating the need for a separate component or space required to seal the exposed portion of the core. In this manner, the forming process can optimize space utilization within the cavity on a case-by-case basis based on the given core being incorporated. Therefore, the method for creating the target assembly can maximize the production of the desired radioisotope within a given volume available in the core without sacrificing process flexibility.

[0042] Various aspects of the present disclosure include, but are not limited to, those listed in the following numbered paragraphs:

[0043] Item 1 - A target assembly for producing synthetic radioisotopes of cobalt. The target assembly includes an enclosure and a material to be irradiated. The enclosure defines a cavity therein and is comprised of an enriched material configured to have a short half-life when exposed to a neutron flux. The material to be irradiated comprises a precursor of cobalt-60 and is configured to be contained within the cavity of the enclosure.

[0044] Item 2 - The target assembly of item 1, wherein the irradiated target material comprises cobalt-59.

[0045] Item 3—The subject assembly of any one of items 1 to 2, wherein the enriched material is isotopically pure.

[0046] Item 4—The subject assembly of any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the enriched material comprises at least one of nickel-64, copper-63, and copper-65.

[0047] Item 5 - The subject assembly of any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the concentrated material is a metallic material.

[0048] Item 6 - The subject assembly of any one of items 1 to 5, wherein the concentrated material comprises an alloy.

[0049] Item 7 - A method of making a target assembly, the method including providing a feedstock material to a forming process and using the forming process to make at least one layer of an enclosure of the target assembly from the feedstock material, the feedstock material comprising a concentrated metal material.

[0050] Item 8 - The method of item 7, wherein at least one layer comprises an outer wall of an enclosure of the target assembly.

[0051] Item 9 - The method of any one of items 7 to 8, wherein the enriched metal material comprises an isotopically pure material.

[0052] Item 10 - The method of item 9, wherein the enriched metal material comprises nickel-64, copper-63, and / or copper-65.

[0053] Item 11 - The method of any one of items 7 to 10, wherein the raw material is configured as a powder.

[0054] Clause 12 - The method of any one of clauses 7 to 11, wherein the forming process comprises an additive manufacturing process.

[0055] Item 13 - The method of item 12, wherein the forming process comprises a powder bed fusion process.

[0056] Clause 14 - The method of clause 13, wherein the forming process comprises at least one of electron beam melting, selective laser melting, and direct metal laser sintering.

[0057] Clause 15 - The method of clause 12, wherein the forming process comprises laser metal deposition.

[0058] Item 16 - The method according to any one of items 7 to 15, wherein at least one layer is formed around a core consisting of at least one irradiated material.

[0059] Item 17 - The method of item 16, wherein the core comprises a precursor of at least one of cobalt-60, lutetium-177, and actinium-225.

[0060] Item 18 - The method of any one of items 16 to 17, wherein the core comprises cobalt-59.

[0061] Various features and characteristics are described herein to provide an understanding of the composition, structure, manufacture, function, and / or operation of the present disclosure, including the disclosed methods and systems. It will be understood that various of these features and characteristics of the present disclosure described herein may be combined in any suitable manner, whether or not such combinations of features and characteristics are explicitly described herein. The inventors and applicants expressly intend that such combinations of features and characteristics be included within the scope of the disclosure described herein. Accordingly, the claims may be amended to recite any combination of features and characteristics explicitly or inherently described or explicitly or inherently supported herein. Furthermore, applicants reserve the right to amend the claims to affirmatively disclaim any features or characteristics that may exist in the prior art, even if those features or characteristics are not explicitly described herein. Accordingly, any such amendments will not add new matter to the specification or claims, but will comply with the requirements of the specification, specification sufficiency, and additional matter.

[0062] With respect to the appended claims, those skilled in the art will understand that the operations described therein may generally be performed in any order. Additionally, while various operational flows are depicted in a sequential order, it should be understood that various of these operations may be performed in orders other than those depicted, or may be performed simultaneously. Examples of such alternative orders include overlapping, interleaved, interrupted, reordered, incremental, preparatory, supplemental, concurrent, reversed, or other variations, unless the context dictates otherwise. Furthermore, terms such as "in response to," "related to," and other past tense adjectives are generally not intended to exclude such variations, unless the context dictates otherwise.

[0063] The inventions described herein may comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of various features and characteristics described herein. The words "comprise" (and any form of "comprise," such as "comprises" or "comprising"), "have" (and any form of "have," such as "had" or "having"), "include" (and any form of "include," such as "included" or "comprising"), and "contain" (and any form of "contain," such as "contained" or "containing") are open-ended linking verbs. Thus, a method or system that "comprises," "has," "includes," or "contains" one or more features and / or characteristics has the one or more features and / or characteristics, but is not limited to having only the one or more features and / or characteristics. Similarly, an element of a composition, coating, or process that "comprises," "has," "includes," or "contains" one or more features and / or characteristics has those one or more features and / or characteristics, but is not limited to having only those one or more features and / or characteristics, and may have other features and / or characteristics as well.

[0064] As used herein, including the claims, the grammatical articles "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include "at least one" or "one or more," unless expressly stated otherwise. Accordingly, articles are used herein to refer to one or more than one (i.e., "at least one") of the grammatical object of the article. As an example, "a component" means one or more components, and thus, it is conceivable that one or more components may be employed or used in the practice of the described compositions, coatings, and processes. That being said, it should be understood that the absence of the terms "at least one" or "one or more," when used in some cases, should not be construed as limiting the object of the grammatical articles "a," "an," and "the" to one. Furthermore, unless the context dictates otherwise, the use of a singular noun includes the plural, and the use of a plural noun includes the singular.

[0065] As used herein, unless otherwise noted, all numerical parameters should be understood to be prefaced and modified in all instances by the word "about." Such numerical parameters have the inherent variability characteristic of the underlying measurement techniques used to determine the numerical value of such parameters. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter set forth herein should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.

[0066] Numerical ranges recited herein include all subranges subsumed within the recited range. For example, a range of "1 to 10" includes all subranges between (and including) the recited minimum value of "1" and the recited maximum value of "10," i.e., all subranges with a minimum value of 1 or greater and a maximum value of 10 or less. Also, all ranges recited herein include their endpoints. For example, a range of "1 to 10" includes the endpoints 1 and 10. Each maximum numerical limitation recited herein is intended to include all subranges subsumed therein, and each minimum numerical limitation recited herein is intended to include all subranges subsumed therein. Accordingly, applicants reserve the right to amend this specification, including the claims, to expressly recite any subranges subsumed within any explicitly recited range. All such ranges are inherently set forth herein.

[0067] As used herein, particularly in reference to layers, the terms "on," "upon," "over," and variations thereof (e.g., "coated on," "formed on," "deposited on," "provided on," "located on," etc.) mean coated, formed, deposited, provided, or positioned on the surface of a substrate, but not necessarily in contact with the surface of the substrate. For example, a layer "coated" on a substrate does not exclude the presence of another layer or other layers, of the same or different composition, between the coated layer and the substrate. Similarly, a second layer "coated" on a first layer does not exclude the presence of another layer or other layers, of the same or different composition, between the coated second layer and the coated first layer.

[0068] While particular examples of the present disclosure have been described above for purposes of illustration, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes may be made in the details of the present disclosure without departing from the disclosure as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. 1. A target assembly for producing synthetic radioisotopes of cobalt, comprising: The target assembly comprises: an enclosure comprised of an enriched material, the enriched material configured to have a short half-life when exposed to a neutron flux, the enclosure defining a cavity therein; a material to be irradiated, the material being composed of a precursor of cobalt-60 and configured to be contained within the cavity of the enclosure; Target assembly.

2. The irradiated material comprises cobalt-59. The target assembly of claim 1 .

3. the enriched material is isotopically pure; The target assembly of claim 1 .

4. the enriched material comprises at least one of nickel-64, copper-63, and copper-65; The target assembly of claim 1 .

5. the concentrated material is a metal material; The target assembly of claim 1 .

6. the concentrated material comprises an alloy; The target assembly of claim 5 .

7. 1. A method of making a target assembly, comprising: The method comprises: providing a feedstock to a forming process, the feedstock comprising a concentrated metal material; and using the forming process to create at least one layer of an enclosure of the target assembly from the feedstock material. method.

8. the at least one layer comprises an outer wall of the enclosure of the target assembly; The method of claim 7.

9. The enriched metal material is composed of isotopically pure material. The method of claim 7.

10. the concentrated metal material comprises nickel-64, copper-63, and / or copper-65; 10. The method of claim 9.

11. The raw material is configured as a powder. The method of claim 7.

12. the forming process comprises an additive manufacturing process; The method of claim 7.

13. the forming process comprises a powder bed fusion process; The method of claim 12.

14. the forming process comprises at least one of electron beam melting, selective laser melting, and direct metal laser sintering; The method of claim 13.

15. the forming process comprises laser metal deposition; The method of claim 12.

16. the at least one layer is formed around a core made of at least one material to be irradiated; The method of claim 7.

17. the core comprises a precursor of at least one of cobalt-60, lutetium-177, and actinium-225; 17. The method of claim 16.

18. the core comprises cobalt-59; 18. The method of claim 17.

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