Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Production and Quality Control of High-Purity Rare-Earth Metal Oxides for Scintillator Crystals of Detecting Medical Systems

  • METALLURGY OF RARE AND NOBLE METALS
  • Published:
Russian Journal of Non-Ferrous Metals Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The positron emission tomography detection device uses scintillator crystals to provide high image quality. Cerium-activated lutetium orthosilicates are promising crystals for PET detectors. The optical properties of the resulting scintillator crystals directly depend on the impurity composition of the starting materials; therefore, rather stringent requirements are set for them: the content of the basic substance Lu2O3 is 99.999 wt % and CeO2 is 99.99 wt %. As a starting material for obtaining lutetium oxide of the required purity, we used its concentrate with a basic substance content of 99.1 wt %, to obtain cerium oxide, REM carbonates containing up to 54% cerium in the composition. The paper presents the schemes of the technological process for obtaining high-purity Lu2O3 and CeO2 based on a combination of methods of extraction and ion exchange. Extraction purification of lutetium and cerium from accompanying rare-earth impurities was carried out using Aliquat 336 and tri-n-butyl phosphate, respectively. In the work, the main modes of operation of the extraction cascades were calculated; the total number of stages for purifying lutetium was 17; for purifying cerium, it was 20. The technology for the purification of lutetium oxide and cerium oxide consists of a combination of purification methods and varying cycles depending on the content of impurities; in this regard, it is necessary to control the quality of the resulting substances practically after each stage. Analytical control of the chemical purity of technological products was carried out by mass spectrometry with inductively coupled and spark sources of sample excitation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  1. Tamulaitis, G., Auffray, E., Gola, A., Korzhik, M., Mazzi, A., Mechinski, V., Nargelas, S., Talochka, Y., Vaitkevicius, A., and Vasil’ev, A., Improvement of the timing properties of Ce-doped oxyorthosilicate LYSO scintillating crystals, J. Phys. Chem. Solids, 2020, vol. 139, p. 109356.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Rao, T.P. and Biju, V.M., Trace determination of lanthanides in metallurgical, environmental, and geological samples, Crit. Rev. Anal. Chem., 2000, vol. 30, nos. 2–3, pp. 179–220.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Adachi, G., Imanaka, N., and Kang, Z.C., Binary Rare Earth Oxides, Berlin: Springer Science + Business Media, 2005.

  4. Zawisza, B., Pytlakowska, K., Feist, B., Polowniak, M., Kita, A., and Sitko, R., Determination of rare earth elements by spectroscopic techniques: A review, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2011, vol. 26, no. 12, pp. 2373–2390.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Gorbatenko, A.A. and Revina, E.I., A review of instrumental methods for determination of rare earth elements, Inorg. Mater., 2015, vol. 51, no. 14, pp 1375–1388.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Ganjali, M.R., Gupta, V.K., Faridbod, F., and Norouzi, P., Lanthanides Series Determination by Various Analytical Methods, Oxford: Elsevier, 2016.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Li, B., Zhang, Y., and Yin, M., Determination of trace amounts of rare earth elements in high-purity cerium oxide by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after separation by solvent extraction, Analyst, 1997, vol. 122, no. 6, pp. 543–547.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Qin, S., Bin, H., Yongchao, Q., Wanjau, R., and Zucheng, J., Determination of trace rare earth impurities in high-purity cerium oxide by using electrothermal vaporization ICP-AES after HPLC separation with 2‑ethylhexylhydrogen 2-ethylhexylphosphonate resin as the stationary phase, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2000, vol. 15, no. 10, pp. 1413–1416.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Daskalova, N.N., Velichkov, S., Krasnobaeva, N., and Slavova, P., Spectral interferences in the determination of traces of scandium, yttrium and rare earth elements in “pure” rare earth matrices by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry-I. Cerium, neodymium and lanthanum matrices, Spectrochim. Acta, Part B, 1992, vol. 47, no. 14, pp. 1595–1620.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Polyakov, E.G., Metallurgiya redkozemel’nykh metallov (Metallurgy of Rare Earth Metals), Moscow: Metallurgiya, 2018.

  11. Mikhailichenko, A.I., Mikhlin, E.B., and Patrikeev, Yu.B., Redkozemel’nye metally (Rare Earth Metals), Moscow: Metallurgiya, 1987.

  12. Liu, Y., Chen, J., and Li, D., Application and perspective of ionic liquids on rare earths green separation, Sep. Sci. Technol., 2012, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 223–232.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Baba, Y., Kubota, F., Kamiya, N., and Goto, M., Recent advances in extraction and separation of rare-earth metals using ionic liquids, J. Chem. Eng., 2011, vol. 44, no. 10, pp. 679–685.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Makanyire, T., Sanchez, S., and Jha, A., Separation and recovery of critical metal ions using ionic liquids, Adv. Manuf., 2016, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 33–46.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Kubota, F., Shimobori, Y., Koyanagi, Y., and Shimojo, K., Uphill transport of rare-earth metals through a highly stable supported liquid membrane based on an ionic liquid, Anal. Sci., 2010, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 289–290.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Larsson, K. and Binneman, K., Separation of rare earths by split-anion extraction, Hydrometallurgy, 2015, vol. 156, pp. 206–214.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Gasanov, A.A., Apanasenko, V.V., Semenov, A.A., and Yurasova, O.V., Calculation of complete counter-current extraction cascade with exchange washing using EXCEL, Tsvetn. Met. (Moscow, Russ. Fed.), 2016, no. 5, pp. 44–49.

  18. Yurasova, O.V., Samieva, D.A., and Fedulova, T.V., Extraction technology of high pure lutetium oxide production for crystals-scintilators of lutetium orthosilicates, Mezhdunar. Nauchno-Issled. Zh., 2019, no. 11-1 (89), pp. 79–82.

  19. Matyukha, V.A., Oksalaty redkozemel’nykh elementov i aktinoidov (Oxalates of Rare-Earth Elements and Actinides), Moscow: IzdAT, 2008.

  20. Gasanov, A.A., Yurasova, O.V., Kharlamova, T.A., and Alaferdov, A.F., Design of electrolyzers for the oxidation of cerium, Tsvetn. Met. (Moscow, Russ. Fed.), 2015, no. 8, pp. 50–53.

  21. Galieva, Zh.N., Volobuev, O.I., Yachmenev, A.A., Igumnov, M.S., Gerya, M.S., Bydanov, B.A., Dronov, D.V., and Semenov, A.A. Universal technology for the separation of rare-earth concentrates (REC) in cascades of centrifugal extractors: development of technology and equipment, development of production, Usp. Khim. Khim. Tekhnol., 2019, vol. 33, no. 1 (211), pp. 33–35.

  22. Yurasova, O.V., Gasanov, A.A., Kharlamova, T.A., and Vasilenko, S.A., Technology of cerium (IV) oxide extraction from rare-earth metal concentrates using electrochemical oxidation and extraction methods, Tsvetn. Met. (Moscow, Russ. Fed.), 2016, no. 3, pp. 42–49.

Download references

Funding

The study was partially supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (project no. 20-13-00180).

Investigations in the field of chemical content were performed using the equipment of the Giredmet and the Center for Collective Use of Physical Methods for the Study of Substances and Materials of the Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Research and Design Institute of Rare-Metal Industry Giredmet, 111524, Moscow, Russia

    O. V. Yurasova, D. A. Samieva & E. S. Koshel

  2. Kurnakov Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russia

    Yu. A. Karpov

Authors
  1. O. V. Yurasova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. D. A. Samieva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. E. S. Koshel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yu. A. Karpov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to O. V. Yurasova.

Ethics declarations

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Translated by P. Kuchina

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yurasova, O.V., Samieva, D.A., Koshel, E.S. et al. Production and Quality Control of High-Purity Rare-Earth Metal Oxides for Scintillator Crystals of Detecting Medical Systems. Russ. J. Non-ferrous Metals 63, 157–166 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3103/S1067821222020122

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3103/S1067821222020122

Keywords:

Search

Navigation