Liquid solution centrifugation for safe, scalable, and efficient isotope separation.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37436980.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.adg8993 and PMC identifier 10337892.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
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 <sup>40</sup>Ca/<sup>48</sup>Ca), 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 <sup>48</sup>Ca with a total <sup>40</sup>Ca/<sup>48</sup>Ca 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.