While extractive scintillator solutions used with alphaliquid-scintillation spectrometry offers one of the most rapid and accurate techniques for the separation and measurement of alpha-emitters, extensive commercialization has been hampered by the generation of mixed waste. This project will develop environmentally-safe extractive scintillator solutions which will have a high flash point, low vapor pressure, low toxicity, high scintillation yield, high extraction efficiencies for alpha emitting nuclides, and good phase separation characteristics, and will not undergo significant decomposition during storage. Phase I will: (1) identify several promising non-hazardous solvents, (2) use these solvents to develop environmentally-safe extractive scintillator solutions, and (3) test these solutions to determine their usefulness as extractive scintillator solutions based on the above characteristics. The results from Phase I will serve as a guide for developing and testing a new product line of environmentally-safe extractive scintillator solutions during Phase II.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Successful completion of this project will lead to the wide commercialization of environmentally safe extractive scintillator solutions for the simplified, rapid, and accurate determination of alpha-emitting nuclides by alpha-liquid-scintillation spectrometry. Advantages over traditional alpha-radiation detection and measurement include faster sample preparation time, decreased counting times, and waste minimization.
