2023-07-13 コロンビア大学
◆これまでの方法に比べて効果的で、費用が安く、スケーラブルな手法であり、新しい方法には有害な化学物質を使用する必要もありません。純度の高い同位体は、医療検査や核融合など様々な分野で重要であり、非常に価値があります。研究者は、特許化とプロトタイプ開発に向けた取り組みを行っており、計算モデリングを使用してさらなる改良策を模索しています。
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.engineering.columbia.edu/news/a-scalable-safer-and-potentially-cheaper-way-to-isolate-valuable-isotopes
- https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adg8993
安全でスケーラブルかつ効率的な同位体分離のための液体溶液遠心分離 Liquid solution centrifugation for safe, scalable, and efficient isotope separation
Joseph F. Wild,Heng Chen,Keyue Liang,Jiayu Liu,Stephen E. Cox,Alex N. Halliday, and Yuan Yang
Science Advances Published:12 Jul 2023
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adg8993
Abstract
A general method of separating isotopes by centrifuging dissolved chemical compounds in a liquid is introduced. This technique can be applied to almost all elements and leads to large separation factors. The method has been demonstrated in several isotopic systems including Ca, Mo, O, and Li with single-stage selectivities of 1.046 to 1.067 per neutron mass difference (e.g., 1.43 in 40Ca/48Ca), which are beyond the capabilities of various conventional methods. Equations are derived to model the process, and the results agree with those of the experiments. The scalability of the technique has been demonstrated by a three-stage enrichment of 48Ca with a total 40Ca/48Ca selectivity of 2.43, and the scalability is more broadly supported through analogies to gas centrifuge, whereby countercurrent centrifugation can further multiply the separation factor by 5 to 10 times per stage in a continuous process. Optimal centrifuge conditions and solutions can achieve both high-throughput and highly efficient isotope separation.
