Methodology for the Preparation and Validation of Plutonium Age Dating Materials

The present work describes a method for the preparation and validation of plutonium age dating reference materials. The test samples prepared in this context could be used to validate experimental protocols for determining the production date of plutonium via the ²³⁴U/²³⁸Pu, ²³⁵U/²³⁹Pu, ²³⁶U/²⁴⁰Pu, and ²⁴¹Am/²⁴¹Pu chronometers. The starting material was prepared using reactor-grade plutonium, which was purified using a dedicated method to guarantee high Pu recovery, while maximizing U and Am separation efficiencies. The U and Am separation factors were determined by the addition of high-amounts of ²³³U and ²⁴³Am spikes and their remeasurement in the final product. The prepared material is intended for quality control and assessment of method performance in nuclear forensics and safeguards