Entity Type: Article

Tungsten (W) – 184 isotope, a stable (non-radioactive) isotope, a single crystal of tungsten enriched in the stable isotope 184W. Obtained by the plasma-arc method of growing a tungsten single crystal. Due to its high purity, such a metal is distinguished by unusual mechanical properties: at very low temperatures it retains its ductility, and with significant heating it almost does not lose its strength.

The stable isotope W184 is used as a component of alloys with Uranium 235 used in solid-phase nuclear rocket engines because it is the only common tungsten isotope that has a low thermal neutron capture cross section (about 2 barn).

Product Type: Isotope

Features & Benefits:

• Maintains plasticity at very low temperatures
• Maintains strength at very high temperatures

Applications areas:

• Tungsten(W)-184 isotope is the main application in space nuclear energy and the defense industry. Particularly used in nuclear power plants. Tungsten single crystals are also used in many vacuum tube devices: electron tubes (triodes, tetrodes, pentodes, etc.); microwave vacuum devices (magnetrons, klystrons, TWTs, BWTs); lectron beam devices (cathode ray tubes, picture tubes); photoelectronic devices (PMTs, vacuum photocells); vacuum indicators (electron-light indicators, digital indicator tubes); X-ray tubes; charged particle accelerators; use in converter reactors; study of surface structure and physicochemical processes occurring on the surface during the adsorption of various gases; chemical research, in particular the study of elastic and inelastic scattering of heavy ions.