Proposals

Abstract

We request funds to purchase a Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC, also an abbreviation for Differential Scanning Calorimetry) for use by students in Chemistry and other related departments. This instrument will be part of the Mass Spectrometry Facility on the ground floor of Bagley Hall. This DSC offers optimal sensitivity, resolution, temperature range, and ease of use. DSC was first developed in the early 1960’s and has since been widely used for quantification of phase transitions (such as glass transition, crystallization, and melting temperatures), oxidative stability, heat of reaction, purity, and crystallinity in materials ranging from commercial polymers to liquid crystals to pharmaceutical compounds. These instruments work by maintaining both an empty reference cell and a sample cell containing the analyte of interest at the same temperature throughout the course of the heating and/or cooling experiment. When the heat capacity of the sample changes, or the sample releases or absorbs energy, the instrument must apply different amounts of energy to the sample and reference cells to keep them at the same temperature. This differential heat flow is registered by the instrument as a deviation from the baseline heat flow, and subsequent software analysis affords thermodynamic information about the thermal event. DSC is a broadly utilized analytical technique, finding use in commercial polymer manufacturing, semiconductors, the pharmaceutical industry, and food science. Students will be able to leverage practical experience with DSC in a variety of careers.