Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)
Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) is a thermoanalytical tool used to track changes in heat capacity of a material with temperature. This is achieved by measuring the heat flow of a known weight sample when it is heated or cooled over time against a reference material. DSC is commonly used for polymeric and non-metallic materials to study melting/crystallization behavior, solid-solid reactions, polymorphism, degree of crystallinity, glass transitions, cross-linking reactions, oxidative stability, decomposition behavior, specific heat, and many other material properties crucial for product development, manufacturing and testing. It is a widely used tool in various industries from pharmaceuticals, food industry, semiconductors, electronics, polymers, etc.
Heat flux and power compensation are the two measurement methods used for DSC analysis.
Common Uses
- Drug–lipid interactions, the status of the lipid, and melting and recrystallization behaviors of the Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLCs)a
- Thermodynamics of nucleic acid-folding transitions (DNA and RNA)
- Evaluation of thermal reversibility of protein degradation
- Analysis of physicochemical transformation during starch gelatinization process
- Prediction of the storage life of food products
- Determination of oxidative stability, thermal degradation, and water loss in the sample
- Evaluation of eutectic point and construction of phase diagrams
- Determination of glass transition temperature (Tg) to determine the miscibility of biopolymer blends
- Determination of the cure behavior of thermoset monomers or oligomers
- Examining the effect of hardeners on the thermal properties of cured materials
- Determination of heat of fusion and extent of crystallization for the crystalline materials
- Estimation of the heat and degree of curing reaction, and residual cure
Advantages
- An easy and quick way to study the thermal transitions in the materials
- Can be used for a wide range of temperatures (−90 to 550 °C)
- A low-cost technique that requires a low amount of sample
- Sensitive identification of even a slightly weak phase transition
Limitations
- It is a destructive analysis technique, so heterogeneous materials might be challenging to analyze
- Does not detect the gas generation
- Can not provide elemental analysis
- Difficulty in the correct interpretation of the results when there is an overlapping of some phase transitions
- Constant mass of the sample is required throughout the test; evaporation or sublimation of the sample would result in inaccurate results
Industries
- Polymers and composites
- Membranes and Films
- Pharmaceuticals
- Biology
- Nanomaterials
- Food Science Research
- Semiconductors
- Electronics
- Drug delivery and diagnosis
Laboratories
- EAG Laboratories Inc.
- Element Materials Technology
- ATS Applied Technical Servicess, Inc.
- Intertek
- Avomeen
- Particle Technology Labs
- Medallion Labs
- Innovatech Labs, LLC
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