Preparation of Sc-46 glass microspheres by combined melt-quenching and microwave methods for applications in radioactive particle tracking experiments

摘要

This paper describes a novel approach for preparation of scandium glass microspheres by combining both melt-quenching technique and an indigenously developed microwave approach. The microspheres were characterized for morphology, elemental composition, crystallinity and change in physical/chemical properties with temperature. The size of the prepared microspheres was found to be ranging from 500 to 1500 mu m. The obtained glass microspheres were irradiated with thermal neutrons in a nuclear reactor to produce Sc-46 radioisotope.