Manufacturing and characterization of molybdenum pellets used as targets for ^99mTc production in cyclotron

The method of ¹⁰⁰Mo metallic target preparation for production of ^99mTc by proton irradiation in ¹⁰⁰Mo(p,2 n)^99mTc reaction was demonstrated. For this purpose, pressing of molybdenum powder into pellets and their subsequent sintering in reductive atmosphere were applied. The influence of parameters such as molybdenum mass and time of both pressing and sintering on the ¹⁰⁰Mo target durability was investigated. Under the optimized conditions, ¹⁰⁰Mo metallic pellet targets with density of 9.95±0.06 g/cm³ were obtained. Morphology and structure of pressed pellets before and after sintering were studied by using standard optical microscope and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Nanoindentation technique was used to investigate the mechanical properties such as nanohardness and Young modulus. Prepared ¹⁰⁰Mo pellets were successfully irradiated with protons and ^99mTc was efficiently isolated. - Highlights: • Pressing and sintering of ¹⁰⁰Mo powder into pellets. • Optimization of ¹⁰⁰Mo target manufacture process. • Determination of nanohardness of prepared ¹⁰⁰Mo targets. • Irradiation of self-supporting ¹⁰⁰Mo target in cyclotron.