Design and development of a self-referencing DSC

Barry Holland, Jonathan Atkinson, James Hay

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

An intermediate range (50-1000degreesC) self-referencing differential scanning calorimeter (SR-DSC) has been built and its performance evaluated. The SR-DSC measures heat flow across a heat flow metal plate, and any changes to the heat flow caused by a thermal transition occurring in a centrally placed sample is monitored by a temperature difference across the plate. The criteria for high sensitivity are that the circular plate should be as thin as possible and have a low thermal conductivity. The best sensitivity conducive with robust behaviour was achieved with an inconel thermal plate of uniform thickness, 75 mum, this gave reproducible results, and the enthalpy of the thermal transition was proportional to sample mass. Calorimeter sensitivity decreased with increasing temperature and a sloped baseline was observed. Both of these effects can be corrected mathematically. An example of the use of the SR-DSC in polymer characterisation was limited to a study of the physical ageing of PET.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)371-385
Number of pages15
JournalJournal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry
Volume69
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2002

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Design and development of a self-referencing DSC'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this