Molecular plating for targetry: proof of concept using natGd(p,x)155Tb cross section measurements

. The production of radionuclides for nuclear medicine is crucial for advancements in both diagnosis and therapy. 155 Tb stands out as a promising candidate for SPECT imaging and as counterpart of the therapeutic radionuclide 161 Tb in a theranostics approach. This work focuses on the gadolinium target fabrication process via molecular plating (MP) and its uses to study the production and identification of activation products when irradiated with proton. A particular attention is devoted on the quality of the produced targets using different analytical techniques. These findings contribute to ongoing efforts to establish reliable production routes for 155 Tb. Our results show good agreement with the literature and simulation data, providing new experimental data to the production of 155 Tb and other co-products or impurities via the bombardment of nat Gd targets and the contribution of (p,x) nuclear reactions, thus validating the MP technique for cross section measurements. This paves the way to fabricate enriched lanthanides target to explore extensively the production of radio-lanthanides.