Low-Background Method of Isotope Markers for Measuring the Efficiency of Intercalation of Graphite by Potassium Atoms

ZA Ahmatov and AM Gangapshev and VS Romanenko and AK Khokonov and VV Kuzminov, PHYSICS OF PARTICLES AND NUCLEI, 49, 787-792 (2018).

DOI: 10.1134/S1063779618040032

The result of low-background measurements of the gamma activity of graphite-potassium intercalated sample is presented. A germanium gamma spectrometer, used for measurements, was located in the low-background chamber of Baksan Neutrino Observatory. For 384 hours of exposure, 768 decays of K-40 isotope nuclei were registered. This activity corresponds to 85 mu g/cm(2) potassium atoms embedded in to graphite lattice. A computer simulation of the intercalation process and the gamma-ray spectrum set is also presented. The accuracy of the potassium concentration determination can be brought to 10(-11)-10(-12) g/g for mixture enriched with K-40 isotope.

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