How to Determine Specific Heat Capacity by DSC

DSC is a measurement technique commonly used for the determination of specific heat capacity because of its ease of use, short measurement times and because it provides adequate accuracy.

The specific heat capacity is used to specify materials and is quoted in data sheets. It is important for improving technical processes such as injection molding, spray drying, and crystallization, and is an important property for the safety analysis of chemical processes and reactor construction.

Heat Capacity vs Specific Heat Capacity

Heat capacity is the amount of energy needed to increase the temperature of an object by exactly 1 °C. Hence it is related to the size of the sample and does not characterize the material itself. The unit of heat capacity, C_p, is Joules per Kelvin (J/K).

Specific heat capacity is the energy needed to increase the temperature of one unit of mass of an object by exactly 1 °C. This is calculated by dividing the heat capacity by the sample mass, which provides a more useful characterization of the material. The unit of specific heat capacity, c_p, is typically expressed as Joules per gram per Kelvin (J/g/K).

Measurement Methods Discussed in the Webinar

This webinar presents six different methods of calculating specific heat capacity. We first present the so-called Direct and Sapphire methods using a conventional DSC instrument and a linear temperature program. We then demonstrate four temperature-modulated DSC techniques: IsoStep DSC, Steady State ADSC, ADSC, and TOPEM.

Produkte