High temperature and high beam current compatible targets and methods thereof for generating noble gas/radiohalogen generators for medical isotopes

1. A method of providing an alpha particle emitter for use in medical treatment comprising:

forming Bi 2 O 3 powder into Bi 2 O 3 targets comprising

Bi 2 O 3 pellets or

Bi 2 O 3 coatings on metal or metal oxide substrates,

positioning the Bi 2 O 3 targets in a heated vacuum chamber,

subjecting the Bi 2 O 3 targets to irradiation by a 6 Li beam at an elevated temperature so as to generate 211 Rn gas,

collecting the 211 Rn gas in an inert gas, and

delivering the combination of the inert gas and 211 Rn gas to a carrier for delivery to a treatment facility, the 211 Rn gas generating 211 At which in turn releases alpha particles effective for use in medical procedures.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the metal or metal oxide substrates have a Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) the same as the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) of the Bi 2 O 3 coatings on the metal or metal oxide substrates.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the metal or metal oxide substrates comprise aluminum silver, iron, stainless steel, titanium or alloys or oxides thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the 6 Li beam has a beam current from 2 pnA to 19 pnA.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the elevated temperature of the Bi 2 O 3 targets is from 570 to 700° C.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the elevated temperature causes release of 60 to 80% of the generated 211 Rn gas from the Bi 2 O 3 targets.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein forming of the Bi 2 O 3 powder into Bi 2 O 3 targets comprising Bi 2 O 3 pellets or Bi 2 O 3 coatings comprises blending the Bi 2 O 3 powder with a binder and distilled water.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the binder is polyethylene glycol (PEG) 400 and/or PEG 3000 and/or methylcellulose.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the Bi 2 O 3 pellets are 13-16 mm in diameter and 1-2 mm thick.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein forming of the Bi 2 O 3 coatings from Bi 2 O 3 powder comprises blending the Bi 2 O 3 powder with a methylcellulose binder and distilled water and forming films 28 μm to 32 μm thickness by doctor blading technique.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the forming of the Bi 2 O 3 coatings from Bi 2 O 3 powder comprises blending the Bi 2 O 3 powder with binders and distilled water to form a Bi 2 O 3 solution and spin coating the Bi 2 O 3 solution to form a multilayer film 28-32 μm in thickness comprising 4-layers, wherein, the multilayer film comprises an 8 μm first layer, a second layer having a thickness of 10 μm, a third layer having a thickness of 7 μm and a fourth layer adding 3 to 8 μm to provide a total film thickness of 28-32 μm.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the Bi 2 O 3 powder has particle sizes from 80 nm to 4 μm.

13. A method of providing alpha or Auger electron particle emitters for use in medical treatment comprising:

forming M x O y or M x C y targets comprising

M x O y or M x C y pellets or

M x O y or M x C y coatings on metal or metal oxide substrates, where M is selected from the group consisting of

209 Bi, 75 As or 121 Sb

positioning the M x O y or M x C y targets in a heated vacuum chamber,

subjecting the M x O y or M x C y targets to irradiation by a 6 Li beam at an elevated temperature so as to generate a noble gas selected from the group consisting of 211 Rn, 77 Kr or 123 Xe,

collecting the noble gas in an inert gas, and

delivering the combination of the inert gas and noble gas to a carrier for delivery to a treatment facility, the noble gas generating a radiohalogen selected from the group consisting of 211 At, 77 Br and 123 I which in turn releases-alpha particles or Auger electrons.