Influence of drying conditions of zirconium molybdate gel on performance of super(99m)Tc gel generator

super(99m)Tc can be produced from super(99)Mo/ super(99m)Tc gel generators. These gels are part of the generator and the super(99)Mo/ super(99m)Tc gel generator performance is directly related with gel structure. In this work a series of zirconium molybdate gels have been synthesized and dried under different conditions and characterized using thermal analysis (TGA, DTA), SEM, XRD and porosity measurements. It is found that the water content of the gel determines the structure porosity which allows the diffusion of the super(99m)TcO sub(4) super(-) ions inside the gel and was directly connected with performance of the super(99)Mo/ super(99m)Tc gel generators. Drying conditions of the gel is as an important factor that influence water content and physical-chemical properties of this gel and must be carefully studied to optimize the properties of the gel generators.