Targetry and specification of 167Tm production parameters by different reactions

In recent years, there has been a rapid expansion in the use of radio nuclides for therapeutic purposes. Thulium–167 is an important radionuclide (T1/2 = 9.25 d) due to it could be used for tumor and bone studies in nuclear medicine. 167Tm complexed with hydroxy ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (HEDTA) could be used with the aim of bone imaging. 167Tm emits a prominent γ ray of 208 keV energy and low energy electrons. This study describes calculations on the excitation functions of 165Ho(α,2n)167Tm, 167Er(p,n)167Tm, natEr(d,xn)167Tm and natEr(p,xn)167Tm reactions by ALICE/ASH (hybrid and GDH models) and TALYS-1.0 codes. In addition, calculated data by codes were compared to experimental data that earlier were published and TENDL-2010 database. Moreover, optimal thickness of the targets and physical yield were obtained by SRIM (stopping and range of ions in matter) code for each reaction. According to the results, the 167Er(p,n)167Tm and 165Ho(α,2n)167Tm reactions are suggested as the best method to produce 167Tm owing to minimum impurities. The TALYS-1.0 code, predict the maximum cross-section of about 382 mb at 11 MeV and 849 mb at 26 MeV for 167Er(p,n)167Tm and 165Ho(α,2n)167Tm reactions, respectively. Finally, deposition of natEr2O3 on Cu substrate was carried out via the sedimentation method. The 516 mg of erbium(III)oxide with 103.2 mg of ethyl cellulose and 8 mL of acetone were used to prepare a natEr2O3 layer of 11.69 cm2. 167Tm was produced via the natEr(p,n)167Tm nuclear process at 20 μA current and 15 → 7 MeV protons beam (1 h). Yield of about 3.2 MBq 167Tm per μA h were experimentally obtained.