Theoretical Evaluation of Production Routes For 89 Zr: Cross Sections, Integral Yields, and Impurity Analysis

Abstract

Zirconium-89 (89Zr) is an important radionuclide for immuno-PET imaging due to its relatively long physical half-life, which makes it suitable for tracking monoclonal antibodies and enhancing tumor detection. The present study provides a theoretical analysis of production routes for 89Zr. Excitation functions were calculated using the nuclear reaction codes EMPIRE and TALYS, employing equilibrium (Hauser-Feshbach) and preequilibrium (exciton) reaction models. The calculated cross sections were compared with available experimental data retrieved from the EXFOR database. Model performance was evaluated using three statistical deviation factors to assess the agreement between the theoretical predictions and the experimental measurements. In addition, cross sections of dominant impurity-producing reactions were analyzed to identify the optimal incident energy range that maximizes radionuclidic purity. Stopping powers were calculated using the SRIM code, and thick target yields were subsequently determined. Among the investigated production routes, the 89Y(p,n)89Zr reaction was found to be the most efficient and practical method for producing high-purity 89Zr, with an optimal proton energy range of 6.5 to 16 MeV.