Preparation and study of thin films of curium metal

Films of metallic 244Cm, 0.6 to 184 μm thick, on Ta, stainless steel, and Mo supports were prepared by thorium thermal reduction of the oxide, followed by vacuum distillation. The major phase in these films is the double hexagonal close-packed lattice of α-Cm. It is stable in storage in air under the conditions of intense self-irradiation for τ ≤ 20 days.