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Actinide and lanthanide thin layers with specific requirements regarding thickness, homogeneity, chemical purity, mechanical stability, and backing properties are applied in a multitude of physics and chemistry experiments. A novel target preparation method, the so-called "Drop-on-Demand" (DoD) technique, based on a commercial nanoliter (nL) dispenser is applied since a few years in the Nuclear Chemistry unit at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. The wetting behaviour of the nL droplets on the substrate's surface is a key parameter determining the spatial distribution of the deposited material after evaporation. By switching from aqueous to organic solvents as well as by substrate surface modifications, the wetting behaviour can be influenced. Recent investigations on this influence and applications of the DoD method are presented. The produced actinide deposits were characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy, by α spectroscopy as well as by radiographic imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular plating is a well-established and widely used method for producing thin films of various elements, which are used in variety of nuclear physics applications. Sixty years have passed since the method was established, and some insights into the chemical process underlying the method and the composition of the thin films have been gained. A brief overview of what has been learned about molecular plating since its introduction and the methods applied in the characterization of molecular plated thin films is given here. Through various spectroscopic and microscopic methods, the process of molecular plating and the chemical composition are gradually being elucidated, albeit we still do not understand all aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]