Electrodeposition iron target for the cyclotron production of 55Co in labeling proteins

Natural iron electrodeposition on copper substrate was studied with the aim of production of cobalt-55 radionuclide. ⁵⁵Co seems well suited for PET imaging due to its high abundance of positron decay (I _β+ = 76%), its relatively long half-life (T _1/2 = 17.5 h) and its mean positron energy (E _avg = 570 keV). The electrodeposition experiments were carried out by chloride bath. Operating parameters such as pH, temperature, current density and amount of the electrolyte components are also optimized. The optimum conditions of the iron electrodeposition were follows: 8 g/L FeCl₂, 2 g/L CaCl₂, pH = 1, DC current density of 21.3 A/dm² with a bath temperature of 75 °C temperature and 20% current efficiency. SEM photomicrographs demonstrated fine-grained structure of the deposit obtained from the optimum bath. The electroplated iron-target was irradiated with 29.5 MeV protons at current of 100 μA for 1 h and yields of about 31.25 MBq/μAh were experimentally obtained.