Chelator-impregnated polydimethylsiloxane beads for the separation of medical radionuclides

Journal Article (2025)
Author(s)

Albert Santoso (TU Delft - Applied Sciences)

Svenja Trapp (TU Delft - Applied Sciences)

Iris M.S. Blommestein (Student TU Delft)

Saeed Saedy (TU Delft - Applied Sciences)

J. Ruud van Ommen (TU Delft - Applied Sciences)

Robin M. de Kruijff (TU Delft - Applied Sciences)

Volkert van Steijn (TU Delft - Applied Sciences)

Research Group
ChemE/Product and Process Engineering
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2024.128865 Final published version
More Info
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Publication Year
2025
Language
English
Research Group
ChemE/Product and Process Engineering
Journal title
Separation and Purification Technology
Volume number
354
Article number
128865
Downloads counter
269
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Abstract

Chelator-impregnated resins have been studied earlier for the chemical separation of elements in aqueous solutions, but issues with their chemical stability have limited their use in the separation of (medical) radionuclides from their respective irradiated targets. We developed a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based chelator-impregnated resin that showed a high chemical stability against leaching. Several different chelators were tested in this study. After impregnation of the PDMS beads with the di-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid (D2EHPA) chelator, an in-flow separation study with various radionuclides (Y-90, La-140, and Ac-225) was conducted. These three radionuclides have potential use in nuclear medicine and a production route through irradiation of Sr-, Ba-, and Ra-targets respectively, necessitating their chemical separation. The D2EHPA-impregnated beads achieved high adsorption efficiencies of 99.89% ± 0.14%, 99.50% ± 0.10%, and 98.51% ± 0.25%, for Y-90, La-140, and Ac-225, respectively, while co-adsorption of minor amounts (< 3%) of the targets were reported. These results, together with the high chemical stability of the PDMS-based resin, highlight the potential of chelator-impregnated resins in the rapidly growing field of (medical) radionuclide production.