Activation cross-sections of proton induced reactions on natural Ni up to 65 MeV

•Production cross-sections of natNi(p,x)60,61Cu, 56,57Ni, 55,56,57,58Co reactions up to 65 MeV.•Comparison of results with theoretical codes ALICE-IPPE, TALYS 1.4 and TENDL-2012 library.•Calculation and comparison of physical yields with literature experiments.•Thin layer activation (TLA) curves for57Ni and 57Co for industrial applications.•The production rate for 55Co was compared for proton and deuteron induced reactions on Ni.

Production cross-sections of the natNi(p,x)60,61Cu, 56,57Ni, 55,56,57,58Co nuclear reactions were measured in five experiments up to 65 MeV by using a stacked foil activation technique. The results were compared with the available literature values, predictions of the nuclear reaction model codes ALICE-IPPE, TALYS-1.4, and extracted data from the TENDL-2012 library. Spline fits were made on the basis of selected data, from which physical yields were calculated and compared with the literature values. The applicability of the natNi(p,x)57Ni, 57Co reactions for thin layer activation (TLA) was investigated. The production rate for 55Co was compared for proton and deuteron induced reactions on Ni.