The glass transition (Tg) is the temperature range at which a material changes from a hard, brittle state to a soft, rubbery state. Thermal analysis is a powerful set of techniques, that are commonly used to study the glass transition of materials. Knowledge of the glass transition temperature and behavior of materials helps to optimize the processing conditions and final properties of materials for different applications.
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According to the International Confederation for Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry (ICTAC), thermal analysis is group of techniques in which a physical property of a substance is measured as a function of temperature while the substance is subjected to a controlled temperature program.
Glass transition is a function of a material's heat capacity. At the glass transition temperature, the Cp changes, which leads to a change in the slope of the measured heat flow. This change of slope can be used to determine the glass transition temperature.
Even though no mass change occurs during a glass transition, the TGA/DSC can determine the glass transition temperature of materials with the thermocouples that are in the sensors.
During a glass transition, there is an obvious dimensional change of a material due to a change in molecular mobility. TMA is very sensitive to this change and is therefore a very powerful tool for determining glass transition.
DMA measures the mechanical properties of a material as it is subjected to a sinusoidal stress or strain at a constant frequency, while being heated or cooled at a controlled rate. The molecular mobility change at a glass transition changes the modulus of a material, which allows the DMA to easily determine Tg. The glass transition is a frequency dependent property, which can be explored with DMA.