Thermal analysis - CIMAV Unidad Monterrey

Thermal analysis is a set of analytical techniques that study the thermal behavior of materials. When a material is warmed up or it cools off, their structure and its chemical composition can undergo changes such as fusion, sublimation, solidification, crystallization, decomposition, thermal oxidation or sintering. Generally these changes can be studied measuring the variation of different properties from the matter based on the temperature, the time and a certain atmosphere.

In the Monterrey Unit of the CIMAV we counted on equipment to realize a specialized thermal analysis to several materials, such as polymeric, oils, ceramic among others.

At the moment we have the following equipment:

Equipment of thermogravimetric analyisis (TGA) with simultaneous DSC - SDT Q 600 TA Instruments
Equipment of thermogravimetric analyisis TGA-50 Shimadzu
Differential scanning calorimetry Q 200 TA Instruments
Equipment of thermo mechanical analysis TMA 2940 TA Instruments
Spectrophotometer Thermo Nicolet 6700 FT-IR with Centaurus microscope

Thermogravimetric analyisis (TGA) with simultaneous DSC SDT Q 600 TA Instruments

This apparatus is designed for analysis and identification of composition of materials by changes in mass of a sample as a function of temperature or time, in an range of room temperature until 1500 °C, being able to carry out simultaneous studies of DTA and DSC.

This apparatus has the following characteristics:

Sample Capacity: 200 mg (350 mg including sample holder)

Balance Sensitivity: 0.1 μg

Temperature Range: Ambient to 1500 °C

Heating Rate - Ambient to 1000 °C: 0.1 a 100 °C/min

Heating Rate - Ambient to 1500 °C: 0.1 a 25 °C/min

Furnace Cooling: Forced Air (1500 to 50 °C in < 30 min, 1000 °C in 50 °C in < 20 min)

Thermocouples: Platinum/Platinum-Rhodium (Type R)

Temperature Calibration: Curie Point or Metal Standards (1 to 5 Points)

DTA Sensitivity: 0.001 °C

Calorimetric Accuracy/Precision: ± 2% (based on metal standards)

Sample Pans: Platinum: 40 μL, 110 μL. Aluminum: 40 μL, 90 μL

By thermogravimetric analyisis (TGA) is possible:

To determine the content in humidity, volatile matter, ashes or carbon.
To make studies composicionales
To determine the purity of a material
To make studies of decomposition and thermal stability
To make kinetic studies

Thermogravimetric analyisis (TGA). TGA-50 Shimadzu

This apparatus is useful for analysis and identification of composition of materials by changes in mass of a sample as a function of temperature or time, which has on a vertical furnace that works in a range of room temperature until 1000 °C

This apparatus has the following characteristics:

Sample Capacity: 20 a 200 mg (1 g including sample holder)

Balance Sensitivity: 0.001 mg

Temperature Range: Ambient to 1000 °C

Heating Rate: 0.1 °C/hour to 99.9 °C/min

Cooling Method: Air-cooled

Thermocouples: Platinum/Platinum-Rhodium 10% (Type S)

Temperature Calibration: Metal Standards

Sample Pans: Platinum

By thermogravimetric analyisis (TGA) is possible:

To determine the content in humidity, volatile matter, ashes or carbon.
To make compositional studies
To determine the purity of a material
To make studies of decomposition and thermal stability
To make kinetic studies

Differential Scanning Calorimetry DSC Q 200 TA Instruments

This apparatus is suitable for thermodynamic characterization of solid, liquid and volatile samples, through analysis of thermograms and measurement of properties such as heat capacity and phase transition temperature (Tg, Tm y Tc). This apparatus has a refrigerated cooling system RCS90, which permits convenient operation over the temperature range from -90 °C to 550 °C.

This equipment has advanced technology Tzero, which provides high performance, stability, sensitivity and resolution, with the following characteristics:

Temperature accuracy: +/- 0.1 °C

Baseline curvature (Tzero; -50 to 300 °C): 10 μW

Sensitivity: 0.2 μW

Resolution (Indium height / width): 30 mW/°C

By differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is possible:

To characterize processes like melting (Tm) and crystallization (Tc) as well as glass transition temperature (Tg)
To study oxidation, as well as other chemical reactions
To determine enthalpy and energetic changes which are produce in transitions
To study processes of cured to modify polymeric properties such as rigidity or elasticity
Characterization and identification of polymers or mix of them, through the measurement of its properties

Thermomechanical Analysis TMA 2940 TA Instruments

This apparatus is useful to measure dimensional changes of a solid sample, in dust, fibers or thin film, such as expansion, penetration, tension, compression and deformation, under conditions controlled of temperature, time, force and atmosphere, in an range of room temperature until 1000 °C.

This apparatus has the following characteristics:

Maximum sample height: 25 mm (1 in)

Maximum sample diameter: 10 mm (0.39 in)

Force range: 0,001 to 1,0 N (102 grams)

Sensitivity: 100 nm

Heating Rate: 0.01 a 200 °C/min

Temperature reproducibility: ± 2°C

By differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is possible:

To obtain coefficient of thermal expansion of a material
To study glass transitions
To make probes about compression-expansion
To analyze softenings and meltings

Spectrophotometer Thermo Nicolet 6700 FTIR with Nicolet Centaurus microscope

This apparatus is ideal to work with solid and liquid samples using its accessory of attenuated total reflectance (ATR), which permits to characterize materials by spectroscopy of infrared from 4000 to 400 cm-1, besides to realize IR scanning until 20µm, using a microscope Nicolet Centaurus.

This apparatus has the following characteristics:

Optical resolution: 0.09 cm-1

Wavenumber precision: 0.01 cm-1

Slowest linear scan velocity: 0.158 cm/s

Fastest linear scan velocity: 6.33 cm/s

Number of scan velocities: 15

Liquid nitrogen-cooled detector hold time: 8 hours

By Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) is possible to characterize materials such as:

Oils and fuels
Pharmaceutical Products
Polymers and plastics
Inorganic solids (mineral or catalytic)
Pollutans, among others