title: Challenges in the quality assurance of elemental and isotopic analyses in the nuclear domain benefitting from high resolution ICP-OES and sector field ICP-MS.
abstract: Accurate analytical data reinforces fundamentally the meaningfulness of nuclear fuel performance assessments and nuclear waste characterization. Regularly lacking matrix-matched certified reference materials, quality assurance of elemental and isotopic analysis of nuclear materials remains a challenging endeavour. In this context, this review highlights various dedicated experimental approaches envisaged at the European Commission-Joint Research Centre-Institute for Transuranium Elements to overcome this limitation, mainly focussing on the use of high resolution-inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (HR-ICP-OES) and sector field-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS). However, also α- and γ-spectrometry are included here to help characterise extensively the investigated actinide solutions for their actual concentration, potential impurities and isotopic purity.
authors.affiliation: European Commission - Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements, ITU, P.O. Box 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krachler
authors.affiliation: European Commission - Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements, ITU, P.O. Box 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Sarandes
authors.affiliation: European Commission - Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements, ITU, P.O. Box 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefaan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van Winckel
keywords: ICP-MS; ICP-OES; Nuclear fuel; Quality assurance; Reference materials