Surface activation by induced fission fragments implantation

A technique for surface activation by induced fission fragments is described. The 235U layer irradiated with thermal neutrons was used as a fragment source. Neutrons were generated by means of the 7Li(p,n)7Be reaction. The proton beam from the 2.5 MeV Van de Graaf accelerator was employed. The depth distribution of the implanted fragments was determined and appeared to be ideally suited for a surface degradation study. The fragments suitable to serve as tracers were determined and their γ-spectra were measured. Advantages of the method are demonstrated through the application to abrasion testing of an electrostatic accelerator charge conveyer belt.