Challenges in the quality assurance of elemental and isotopic analyses in the nuclear domain benefitting from high resolution ICP-OES and sector field ICP-MS
Accurate analytical data reinforces fundamentally the meaningfulness of nuclear fuel performance assessments and nuclear waste characterization. Regularly lacking matrix-matched certified reference materials, quality assurance of elemental and isotopic analysis of nuclear materials remains a challenging endeavour. In this context, this review highlights various dedicated experimental approaches envisaged at the European Commission – Joint Research Centre – Institute for Transuranium Elements to overcome this limitation, mainly focussing on the use of high resolution-inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (HR-ICP-OES) and sector field-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS). However, also - and -spectrometry are included here to help characterise extensively the investigated actinide solutions for their actual concentration, thinkable impurities and isotopic purity.JRC.E.5-Nuclear chemistr
