Investigation of the charged particle nuclear reactions on natural boron for the purposes of the thin layer activation (TLA)

Boron of natural composition was investigated in the form of NiBSi metallic-glass foil to determine the cross-section functions of the ^natB(p,x) ⁷Be and the ^natB(d,x) ⁷Be nuclear reactions. These reactions are very important from the point of view of Thin Layer Activation (TLA) technique to monitor the wear of boron-containing superhard materials (e.g. BN), because the ⁷Be with its half-life of 53 d and gamma-energy of 447 keV is very suitable for wear measurements. The possibility of recoil-implantation of the radioactive nuclei was also studied.