Optimization of a Dried Residue Specimen Preparation Method for Quantifying Analytes in Plutonium Metal Using Wdxrf

A novel method for preparing thin films was investigated for quantifying gallium and iron in plutonium solutions using WDXRF. This technique was developed to eliminate the potential for radioactive liquid to leak into the spectrometer, decrease specimen preparation time, and minimize waste. Samples were cast in μL quantities onto Kapton, and a surfactant was added to disperse the solution uniformly across the Kapton. After drying the specimens, they were sealed in a cell for analysis. Results to date indicate the method can provide a relative precision of ~0.5% for gallium and ~2% for iron, which is more than sufficient for routine sample analyses.