Analytical chemists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a rapid way to measure isotopic ratios of uranium and plutonium collected on environmental swipes, which could help International Atomic Energy Agency analysts detect the presence of undeclared nuclear activities or material.

This innovation could help IAEA’s Network of Analytical Laboratories, or NWAL, which includes ORNL, analyze samples collected from facilities worldwide. DOE NWAL coordinator and co-author Brian Ticknor said, “The microextraction method, if it achieves suitable precision and accuracy, could enable higher sample throughput and a faster turnaround time.”

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Quick Detection of uranium Isotopes helps Safeguard Nuclear Materials

Source: OAK RIDGE