⁶⁰Fe Sample Preparation and Extraction Method for Measurement with Accelerator Mass Spectrometry

⁶⁰Fe can be used in the study of the outbreak of supernova, the synthesis of celestial bodies in nuclear astrophysics, as well as the metabolism of iron in the organism as a tracer. As the neutron activation production of the reactor, ⁶⁰Fe also plays an important role for nuclear facilities and nuclear safety. In accelerator mass spectrometer, the large negative ion beam and the suppression of isotope ⁶⁰Ni are the key steps to improve the measurement sensitivity of ⁶⁰Fe. In this work, the process of sample preparation and beam extraction were tested. The beam intensity, suppression of ⁶⁰Ni, the relationship between the electron affinity and beam current, the choice of conductive medium, and the problems found in the test process were discussed. The series of experiments showed that the sample chemical form of Fe₂O₃, the ion extraction form of FeO^-, and the conducting medium of Ag powder were the best choices for ⁶⁰Fe AMS measurement.