Optimized simulations of 50Ti(p,α) and 49Ti(d,α) reactions for hospital-cyclotron production of 47Sc

The production of 47Sc, a promising radioisotope for targeted radionuclide therapy, by means of hospital-cyclotron reactions is investigated. Two possible routes are considered: the proton-induced reaction on enriched 50Ti targets and the deuteron-induced reaction on enriched 49Ti targets. The cross sections of the reactions are calculated using the TALYS code with optimized parameters and compared with the available experimental data. The optimal energy ranges for the production of 47Sc are determined by taking into account the thick-target yields and the purity of the product. The results show that both reactions can provide high yields and high purity of 47Sc. The feasibility of producing 47Sc with a hospital cyclotron is demonstrated by performing realistic simulations of the irradiation for both 50Ti(p,α) and 49Ti(d,α) reactions.