Innovative Development of Nuclear Technology Applications at China Institute of Atomic Energy

Nuclear technology plays a pivotal role in various fields, including industry, agriculture, medicine, environment, social security, and frontier scientific research. The China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE) pioneered the application-oriented research of nuclear technology in China based on the first nuclear reactor and first accelerator established in 1958. Over more than 70 years of development, CIAE has established a comprehensive disciplinary system encompassing nuclear science and technology, including isotopes, accelerators, nuclear detection and electronics, and ionization radiation metrology. In the field of nuclear technology applications, CIAE has gradually developed an interconnected disciplinary and industrial framework, represented by isotopes and their products, radiation-generating devices, detectors and nuclear instrumentation, nuclear analysis techniques and applications, integrated nuclear technology equipment, as well as metrology, testing, and detection analysis. This framework has driven technological innovation and breakthroughs, yielding numerous significant research achievements and advancing the industrialization of nuclear technology applications. This paper reviews the technological advancements and accomplishments in the field of nuclear technology applications at CIAE, particularly highlighting the achievements of the past decade in isotopes and their products, accelerators and their applications, nuclear detectors and their applications, and ionization radiation metrology and applications. Furthermore, the future prospects of nuclear technology applications are discussed.