M1L4 - Determining solid states

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)

This analyses how a materials’ heat capacity is changed by temperature, allowing for detection of transitions like melting, glass transition, phase changes, and curing

Heat flow DSC

This uses a feedback loop to maintain the sample at a set temperature, measuring power required against reference furnace

Heat capacity

This is the amount of heat a material can absorb before recording a temperature increase

Recrystallisation event

This is an exothermic event during which an amorphous material will crystallise into its lower energy form

Melting event

This is an endothermic event during which a crystalline material melts and changes in the liquid phase

Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD)

This evaluates the degree of crystallinity, characterises polymorphs and solvates and phase transitions

Bragg’s law

This states that diffraction will occur if a parallel and monochromatic X-ray beam of wavelength λ is incident on a crystalline sample at an angle θ (nλ = 2dsinθ)