Abstract:
To address the requirement for accurate activity measurement of the medical α-emitting radionuclide
223Ra in radiopharmaceutical development and clinical application, this study established a triple-to-double coincidence ratio (TDCR) Cherenkov counting method for measuring
223Ra activity. In this work, a TDCR liquid scintillation counter was used to calibrate the activity of
223Ra. The Cherenkov spectra of
223Ra and the TDCR efficiency correction curve was obtained. The Cherenkov spectra, detection efficiencies, and the effects of color quenching between
223Ra and
224Ra were compared. The results showed that Cherenkov light originating from the daughter nuclides
211Pb and
207Tl can be used for accurate activity determination of
223Ra, with a maximum detection efficiency of up to 60% and a minimum detectable activity of 0.2 Bq. A good correlation was observed between TDCR values and the detection efficiency of
223Ra, enabling efficiency correction in activity measurements. The TDCR Cherenkov counting method exhibited similar detection efficiencies for
223Ra and
224Ra, whereas color quenching affected
223Ra more significantly. This study demonstrated that TDCR Cherenkov counting offers a sensitive, accurate, and rapid approach for determining the activity of
223Ra, supporting radiopharmaceutical development and clinical applications.