Production of High-Purity ¹²³ I Radioisotope from Natural and Enriched Tellurium Dioxide Using ¹²² Te(d,xn) ¹²³ I Reaction: Simulations, Targetry, Purification, and Quality Analysis

Iodine-123 is a clinically important radionuclide used in single photon emission computed tomography for diagnostic imaging. This study presents the optimized production of high-purity 123I via the 122Te(d,n)123I nuclear reaction using natural and 99.6% enriched tellurium dioxide (TeO2) targets. Reaction cross sections were analyzed using the TALYS-based Evaluated Nuclear Data Library (TENDL-2023) and compared with available experimental data to identify an optimal deuteron energy range. Monte Carlo simulations performed with Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM)/Transport of Ions in Matter (TRIM) determined the deuteron penetration depth and target thickness to achieve efficient energy deposition and maximum yield. Experimental irradiations were conducted on the U-120 cyclotron at Tomsk Polytechnic University, and the separation of 123I from irradiated TeO2 targets was performed through an automated dry distillation process. The optimal energy window of 8 to 14 MeV resulted in a 123I production yield of 62.65 MBq/μA·h when using 99.6% enriched TeO2 targets, whereas the maximum yield from natTe was 9.5 MBq/μA·h. The dry distillation at 700°C yielded 91% ± 4% recovery efficiency and more than 99.5% purity with minimal target loss. The results confirm that the 123Te(d,n)123I reaction is a technically viable and efficient route for producing clinical-grade 123I in small-to-medium cyclotron facilities, offering a reliable alternative to high-energy xenon-based production methods.