The electrodeposition of 149Sm targets for (n,α) studies

A method of electrodeposition from ethanol was developed for the production of 149Sm targets of area 50×60 mm2 to be used for (n,α) experiments. Targets of 60 μg cm−2 Sm were obtained with a Sm yield of 50% and a Sm mass fraction of 35% after calcination of the layers at 450°C. Target substrates were 20 μm aluminium foils mounted on brass frames. A water cooling jig was constructed to protect the glue used for mounting during the calcination process. The layers were characterized by inductively coupled plasma source mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and by neutron activation analysis (NAA).