The cost-effective starter instrument for quality assurance
DSC 200 F3 Maia® - Differential Scanning Calorimeter
DSC 200 F3 Maia® - The Solution
The DSC 200 F3 Maia® can be employed for the characterization of a great variety of materials. It is used primarily within the scope of quality assurance and failure analysis in polymers; and here not only in plastics and rubber processing, but also in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, food packaging and technical textiles.
Ethylene-Propylene-Diene-Rubber-Mixture (EPDM)
The thermal behavior of an EPDM rubber mixture was measured between –125°C and 160°C at 10 K/min. The glass transition was detected at –52.5°C. The melting above the glass transition (peak temperature at 31.4°C) is typical for the behavior of a sequence-type EPDM. The further endothermal effects (at 98.6°C and 110°C) are due to the evaporation of processing agents. The presentation in the separate window clearly shows the high sensitivity of the DSC 200 F3 Maia® even for small energetic effects (0.43 J/g).
Polyethylene (PE)
PE materials such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are often used for the production of packaging materials and films. Differential scanning calorimetry is often used to characterize the melting behavior of such materials, but the DSC 200 F3 Maia® can do even more. Due to its excellent low-temperature performance and outstanding sensitivity, the system also allows the detection of the glass transition (at –119.9°C). This extremely weak step in the DSC-curve is presented in the embedded picture in more detail.
Oxidative Induction Time (O.I.T.)
Analysis of the thermal stability of polymers is important for materials under thermal load such as polymer insulation for electronics. Determination of the oxidative induction time (O.I.T.) is a standardized technique which can be easily carried out using the DSC 200 F3 Maia®. Presented here is a measurement on PE heated to 210°C under inert (nitrogen) conditions. After a five-minute equilibration time, the atmosphere was switched to oxygen; the sample then began to degrade after 70.97 minutes under oxidizing conditions.
High-Temperature Applications
The DSC 200 F3 Maia® allows tests up to 600°C with excellent baseline stability and reproducibility. Presented here are three runs on a mixture of crystalline SiO2 (quartz) and potassium sulphate (K2SO4). The result clearly proves the out-standing temperature and enthalpy reproducibility of this cost-effective differential scanning calorimeter even at the limits of the temperature range.
Curing of an Epoxy Resin
Analysis and optimization of the curing process of epoxy resins can be easily carried out using differential scanning calorimetry. Presented here is a measurement on a glass fiber filled epoxy measured in the DSC 200 F3 Maia®. The two-step exothermal cross-linking reaction slightly above the glass transition (at 101.5°C) is clearly visible during the first heating of the sample. After a controlled cooling at 5 K/min, the sample was heated a second time. Only a weak glass transition is visible at a higher temperature (142.4°C) compared to the first heating cycle.
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