Differential Scanning Calorimeter
In tandem with TGA, we routinely use the DSC to to assess thermal stability of samples. Each experiment requires no more than 10 mg of sample (ideally less), and consists of heating the sample and a reference pan at the same rate very carefully. Any endo- or exothermic changes the sample goes through are recorded as changes in the amount of energy needed to heat the sample pan at the exact same rate as the reference pan. In this way we can very carefully detect the difference between a phase change and a decomposition event. With data from both the TGA and the DSC we can get a very clear picture of how a compound behaves under heating. This provides critical knowledge for vapour phase deposition process development.
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