Accelerator-based production of the 99mTc-186Re diagnostic-therapeutic pair using metal disulfide targets (MoS2, WS2, OsS2)

Novel, natural abundance metal disulfide targets were irradiated for 1 h with a 10 µA proton beam in a small, medical cyclotron. Osmium disulfide was synthesized by simple distillation and precipitation methods while MoS2 and WS2 were commercially available. The targets dissolved under mild conditions and were analyzed by γ-spectroscopy. Production rates and potential applications are discussed, including target recovery and recycling schemes for OsS2 and WS2.