Factors affecting the quality of plutonium deposits by electrodeposition

Ultra-high resolution alpha spectrometry by microcalorimetry has demonstrated a dramatic improvement in alpha energy resolution over silicon based detectors. To characterize the optimal resolution obtained by the microcalorimeter alpha spectrometers, high quality deposits that are virtually massless are required; electrodeposition is the preferred method for the preparation of high quality deposits. In order to better understand the factors that contribute to lower alpha energy resolution and deposit yield, we have conducted a study to determine the effect of some of the parameters that are used for preparing electrodeposits. We have compared four different electrodeposition methods and four different substrate materials to determine the effect on the deposit yield and alpha energy resolution of plutonium as measured by full width at half maximum using silicon based detectors. Furthermore, we wanted to understand the effect of contaminants from environmental samples on electrodeposits. Therefore, the effect on deposit yield and alpha energy resolution with several common soil constituents (Al³⁺, Eu³⁺, Fe³⁺, K⁺, Lu³⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, Zn²⁺) have been studied.