U.S. - China Collaborations on Nuclear Reference Materials

Reference materials are the cornerstone for any analytical measurement made using destructive and non-destructive methodologies. They not only provide for metrological traceability for the results produced by a measurement system but also allow for critical evaluations of an analytical process to validate the method is fit-for-purpose, to quantify systematic and random biases, and to evaluate long-term and short-term performance metrics. These factors, when understood and controlled lead to the singular goal of continued improvement to achieve the best precision and accuracy possible. Over the past decade great progress has been made by the world’s National Measurement Institutes (NMI) to fill an expanding need for key nuclear reference materials required for the advancement of measurement protocols and systems used for the security of nuclear materials. This effort has contributed to the ability of nuclear laboratories worldwide to develop and implement specialized methodologies enhancing the analytical contributions in the areas of non-proliferation, safeguards, and nuclear forensics. However Chinese laboratories that contribute to the security of their country’s nuclear materials have been hampered due to the lack of availability of these nuclear reference materials. China has limited access to the growing library of nuclear reference materials due to a combination of national and international factors. Over the past three years a team of DA and NDA technical experts have been engaged with China through the NNSA Office of Global Material Security’s (NA-211) Center of Excellence (COE) project for nuclear security to address this issue. Presented will be an overview of these engagements and progress made thus far to provide short-term solutions through the production and use of Working Reference Materials with a long-term goal to establish a domestic pipeline for the production of a prioritized set of Certified Reference Materials (CRM) that meet international standards. The experience gained from producing a limited number of CRMs will position the COE to address China’s internal needs for these materials.