Op weg naar efficiënte terbiumextractie: moleculaire bundels van TbFx voor ISOL en nucleaire geneeskunde

The goal of this research is to improve the production of radioactive terbium isotopes, which hold great promise for both advanced cancer treatments and diagnostic imaging in nuclear medicine. Four terbium isotopes—¹⁴⁹Tb, ¹⁵²Tb, ¹⁵⁵Tb, and ¹⁶¹Tb—are especially valuable for theragnostic applications, combining therapy and diagnostics and offering a pth towards personalised medicine. However, producing these isotopes in sufficient quantity and purity remains a major challenge.. This work focuses on improving terbium extraction through molecular extraction, specifically by producing terbium fluoride (TbFx) beams that are more volatile. A series of experiments were conducted at CERN's ISOLDE and MEDICIS facilities, using both stable and radioactive targets under extreme conditions typical of Isotope Separation On Line (ISOL) systems. The results demonstrate that terbium can be efficiently extracted though molecular sidebands, opening new possibilities for producing high-purity terbium beams. This research not only provides practical guidance for future production but also lays the groundwork for applying similar methods to other difficult-to-extract elements. Looking ahead, these findings support the development of large-scale terbium isotope production at next-generation facilities like ISOL@MYRRHA (Belgium) and TATTOOS@PSI (Switzerland).