Isotope Separation by Centrifuging an Electrolytic Solution

Enriched isotopes are critical to wide applications, such as nuclear reactors (e.g., ^6/7Li, D), radiology (¹⁸O), and fundamenal sciences (e.g., tracer and synthesizing superheavy elements). Current methods, such as gas centrifuge, requires hazardous precursors and have limited applicability. Here we developed a general method of separating isotopes by centrifuging a liquid (e.g., salt solution), which is governed by electrochemical transport equations in electrolytes. This technique can be applied to the majority of elements and does not require gasification of isotopes. We have demonstrated high separation factors of 1.046-1.067 per unit neutron difference (e.g., 1.434 in 40Ca/48Ca, 1.134 in 16O/18O), which are better than or comparable to various conventional methods. Modeling was established to understand the process, which is in good agreement with experimental results. The scalability of the technique has also been demonstrated by performing a three-stage enrichment of 48Ca.<br/><br/>Reference: Joseph Wild, Heng Chen, Keyue Liang Jiayu Liu Stephen Cox, Alex Halliday, Yuan Yang, <i>Science Advances</i>, Accepted.