Faraday detector uranium isotope ratio measurement: Insights from solution- and laser ablation-based sampling methodologies on the Neoma MC-ICP-MS

N. Alex Zirakparvar; Benjamin Manard; Cole Hexel; Daniel Dunlap; Shalina Metzger; Debbie Bostick; Veronica Bradley; Brian Ticknor

doi:10.1016/j.ijms.2023.117114

Faraday detector uranium isotope ratio measurement: Insights from solution- and laser ablation-based sampling methodologies on the Neoma MC-ICP-MS

N. Alex Zirakparvar, Benjamin Manard, Cole Hexel, Daniel Dunlap, Shalina Metzger, Debbie Bostick, Veronica Bradley, Brian Ticknor

Chemical & Isotopic Mass Spectrometry

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this study we utilize an all-faraday cup detector configuration on the Neoma MC-ICP-MS to perform uranium isotope ratio determinations from certified reference materials and a nuclear fuel precursor material via solution and laser ablation based sampling methodologies. The goal in performing these measurements is primarily to demonstrate that the all-faraday cup method can produce highly precise and accurate isotope ratios even at relatively low signal intensity levels while also developing a preliminary understanding of how the complex interplay between different amplifier resistor levels (e.g. 10¹¹ vs 10¹³ Ω) and integration times impacts the precision and accuracy of different types of measurements. Our results show that the faraday cups with 10¹³ Ω resistors in their amplifier feedback loops can be used to produce accurate and relatively precise isotope ratios for ion beams down to ∼5 K cps. However, at the lower end of the signal intensities observed in this study, longer integration times are necessary to mitigate the impact of ion beam instability that can occur during laser ablation based sampling. Despite this potential limitation, the all-faraday cup method is highly versatile as exemplified by the analysis of a collection of uranium reference materials with highly variable uranium isotopic compositions.

Original language	English
Article number	117114
Journal	International Journal of Mass Spectrometry
Volume	492
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijms.2023.117114
State	Published - Oct 2023

Funding

Notice: This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan). Research sponsored by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the U. S. Department of Energy. Notice: This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan ( http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan ). Research sponsored by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory , managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the U. S. Department of Energy.

Funders	Funder number
DOE Public Access Plan
U.S. Department of Energy
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Keywords

Laser ablation
MC-ICP-MS
Neoma
Uranium

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10.1016/j.ijms.2023.117114

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Zirakparvar, N. A., Manard, B., Hexel, C., Dunlap, D., Metzger, S., Bostick, D., Bradley, V., & Ticknor, B. (2023). Faraday detector uranium isotope ratio measurement: Insights from solution- and laser ablation-based sampling methodologies on the Neoma MC-ICP-MS. International Journal of Mass Spectrometry, 492, Article 117114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijms.2023.117114

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title = "Faraday detector uranium isotope ratio measurement: Insights from solution- and laser ablation-based sampling methodologies on the Neoma MC-ICP-MS",

abstract = "In this study we utilize an all-faraday cup detector configuration on the Neoma MC-ICP-MS to perform uranium isotope ratio determinations from certified reference materials and a nuclear fuel precursor material via solution and laser ablation based sampling methodologies. The goal in performing these measurements is primarily to demonstrate that the all-faraday cup method can produce highly precise and accurate isotope ratios even at relatively low signal intensity levels while also developing a preliminary understanding of how the complex interplay between different amplifier resistor levels (e.g. 1011 vs 1013 Ω) and integration times impacts the precision and accuracy of different types of measurements. Our results show that the faraday cups with 1013 Ω resistors in their amplifier feedback loops can be used to produce accurate and relatively precise isotope ratios for ion beams down to ∼5 K cps. However, at the lower end of the signal intensities observed in this study, longer integration times are necessary to mitigate the impact of ion beam instability that can occur during laser ablation based sampling. Despite this potential limitation, the all-faraday cup method is highly versatile as exemplified by the analysis of a collection of uranium reference materials with highly variable uranium isotopic compositions.",

keywords = "Laser ablation, MC-ICP-MS, Neoma, Uranium",

author = "Zirakparvar, {N. Alex} and Benjamin Manard and Cole Hexel and Daniel Dunlap and Shalina Metzger and Debbie Bostick and Veronica Bradley and Brian Ticknor",

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doi = "10.1016/j.ijms.2023.117114",

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AU - Dunlap, Daniel

AU - Metzger, Shalina

AU - Bostick, Debbie

AU - Bradley, Veronica

AU - Ticknor, Brian

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N2 - In this study we utilize an all-faraday cup detector configuration on the Neoma MC-ICP-MS to perform uranium isotope ratio determinations from certified reference materials and a nuclear fuel precursor material via solution and laser ablation based sampling methodologies. The goal in performing these measurements is primarily to demonstrate that the all-faraday cup method can produce highly precise and accurate isotope ratios even at relatively low signal intensity levels while also developing a preliminary understanding of how the complex interplay between different amplifier resistor levels (e.g. 1011 vs 1013 Ω) and integration times impacts the precision and accuracy of different types of measurements. Our results show that the faraday cups with 1013 Ω resistors in their amplifier feedback loops can be used to produce accurate and relatively precise isotope ratios for ion beams down to ∼5 K cps. However, at the lower end of the signal intensities observed in this study, longer integration times are necessary to mitigate the impact of ion beam instability that can occur during laser ablation based sampling. Despite this potential limitation, the all-faraday cup method is highly versatile as exemplified by the analysis of a collection of uranium reference materials with highly variable uranium isotopic compositions.

AB - In this study we utilize an all-faraday cup detector configuration on the Neoma MC-ICP-MS to perform uranium isotope ratio determinations from certified reference materials and a nuclear fuel precursor material via solution and laser ablation based sampling methodologies. The goal in performing these measurements is primarily to demonstrate that the all-faraday cup method can produce highly precise and accurate isotope ratios even at relatively low signal intensity levels while also developing a preliminary understanding of how the complex interplay between different amplifier resistor levels (e.g. 1011 vs 1013 Ω) and integration times impacts the precision and accuracy of different types of measurements. Our results show that the faraday cups with 1013 Ω resistors in their amplifier feedback loops can be used to produce accurate and relatively precise isotope ratios for ion beams down to ∼5 K cps. However, at the lower end of the signal intensities observed in this study, longer integration times are necessary to mitigate the impact of ion beam instability that can occur during laser ablation based sampling. Despite this potential limitation, the all-faraday cup method is highly versatile as exemplified by the analysis of a collection of uranium reference materials with highly variable uranium isotopic compositions.

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Faraday detector uranium isotope ratio measurement: Insights from solution- and laser ablation-based sampling methodologies on the Neoma MC-ICP-MS

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