Nanocrystalline titanium carbide/carbon composites as irradiation targets for isotopes production

Aiming at the preparation of porous targets of titanium carbide with excess of carbon, the sol-gel technique was used: Ti alkoxide precursors were reacted with a phenol-based resin under acid catalysed conditions of hydrolysis. The hydrolysis and condensation of titanium alkoxide provided titania nanoparticles covalently bonded with the phenolic resin behaving as carbon source, meanwhile preserving coordination with acetate ligands. This prepolymer containing Ti-O-Ti bonds, linkages between TiOx and the phenol resin and chelation with acetate groups were treated under inert atmosphere at high temperature (up to 1750 degrees C). The different stages of the carbothermal reduction were studied by FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Specific surface area and occurrence of meso/micro pores of the nanocomposites were determined by N-2 physisorption, while the assessment of porosity was obtained by mass and volume measurements and He picnometry analysis. Results show that nano-sized TiC crystals embedded into a finely distributed carbon matrix were obtained, showing optimal functional properties for the potential application, such as optimized composition, high specific surface area and open porosity. The developed material can be used as a source of radioisotopes for nuclear medicine once irradiated in existing or future production facilities such as ISOLPHARM at INFN-LNL (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro).