title: Preparation of Microvolume Anion-Exchange Cartridge for Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry-Based Determination of (237)Np Content in Spent Nuclear Fuel.
abstract: Microvolume anion-exchange porous polymer disk-packed cartridges were prepared for Am/Np separation, which is required prior to the measurement of Neptunium-237 ((237)Np) with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). Disks with a volume of 0.08 cm(3) were cut out from porous sheets having anion-exchange-group-containing polymer chains densely attached on the pore surface. Four different amine-based groups, N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, trimethylammonium, diethylamine, and triethylenediamine (TEDA), were selected as the anion-exchange groups to be introduced into the porous sheets. The separation performances of Am/Np were evaluated using a standard solution of (243)Am, which had the same activity as its daughter nuclide (239)Np in secular equilibrium. (239)Np recovery of close to 100% with practically no contamination of (243)Am was achieved using the TEDA-introduced disk-packed cartridge. The time to elute (239)Np from the cartridge was approximately 40 s. The TEDA-introduced disk-packed cartridge was applied to the separation of Np from a spent nuclear fuel sample to confirm its separation performance. A known amount of (243)Am ((239)Np) was added to the spent nuclear fuel sample solution to monitor the chemical yield of Np. The chemical yield of Np calculated from a measured concentration of (239)Np was 90.4%. Am leakage in the Np-eluted solution was less than 1 ppt, corresponding to 0.001% of the original Am concentration in the sample. This indicates that no additional (239)Np was produced by the decay of the (243)Am remaining in the Np-eluted solution, thus providing a reliable chemical yield. U, which can cause a serious spectral interference involving the peak tail from the mass spectrum of (238)U, was thoroughly removed with the TEDA cartridge, providing interference-free measurement of (237)Np. The concentration of (237)Np obtained by ICPMS was 718 ± 12 ng/mg-U, which agrees well with the theoretically calculated value. Compared with the conventional separation technique using commercially available anion-exchange resin columns, the time required to adsorb, wash, and elute Np using the TEDA- introduced disk-packed cartridge was reduced by 75%.
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency , Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan.
authors.forename: Shiho
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Asai
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency , Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hanzawa
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency , Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan.
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Konda
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency , Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan.
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency , Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Magara
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency , Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan.
authors.forename: Takaumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Chiba University , Inage, Chiba 263-8522, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ishihara
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Chiba University , Inage, Chiba 263-8522, Japan.
authors.forename: Kyoichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.affiliation: INOAC Corporation , Atsuta, Nagoya 456-0054, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.affiliation: INOAC Corporation , Atsuta, Nagoya 456-0054, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hirota