Microfluidics tools for radionuclides analysis in acidic samples - 000085

The development of miniaturized analytical devices for radiochemical analysis is part of the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) approach toward the reduction of waste and the safe handling of chemicals and radioactive materials. Micro-fluidic tools for solid phase extraction and liquid-liquid micro-extraction of radionuclides from highly acidic media are presented. The miniaturization of solid phase extraction in micro-system is tricky because of the technological difficulty for the integration of a solid stationary phase in a micro-channel. For radiochemical applications in acidic media two routes were considered: the filling of the microchannels by particles or the synthesis of a stationary phase in situ. In our developments, we have selected the latter approach based on the synthesis of acid-resistant organic monoliths with adequate chemical functionalities. Liquid-liquid extraction in microchannels provides many advantages for solvent extraction such as large interfacial areas between the two phases, short diffusion distance, high surface/volume ratio, and possible integration of many operations stages on a single compact chip. (authors)