DSC-600 Differential Scanning Calorimeter

Product Introduction:

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is a widely used technique. It serves both as a routine quality‑testing tool and as a research instrument, measuring the relationship between temperature and heat flow associated with thermal transitions within a material. Our company’s instruments are heat‑flow DSC systems, characterized by excellent reproducibility and high accuracy, making them particularly well suited for precise specific‑heat measurements. These devices are easy to calibrate, simple to operate, fast and reliable, and offer a broad range of applications—especially in materials research, performance evaluation, and quality control. Key material properties such as glass transition temperature, cold crystallization, phase transitions, melting, crystallization, product stability, curing/crosslinking, and oxidation induction time are all within the scope of DSC analysis. We offer a variety of DSC models, allowing customers to select the most appropriate instrument based on their experimental parameters and requirements.

The applications of differential scanning calorimetry include: the “Test Procedures for Geosynthetic Materials in Highway Engineering” (JTG 3460‑2026), which is used to determine the oxidation induction time of polymer materials and is suitable for geomembranes, geogrids, geocells, and similar products; the determination of curing reaction temperatures and thermal effects in polymeric materials; the measurement of phase transition temperatures and associated thermal effects; the analysis of crystallization and melting temperatures and their thermal effects in polymeric materials; and the assessment of glass transition temperatures in polymers. Different instrument models are employed to measure distinct parameters.

The sample and the reference material are placed separately into crucibles and subjected to programmed heating in a furnace, with their temperatures being systematically varied. If the reference material and the sample have identical heat capacities and the sample exhibits no thermal effects, the temperature difference between them will be nearly zero, yielding a smooth baseline. As the temperature rises, if the sample undergoes a thermal effect while the reference material remains unaffected, a temperature difference arises, which appears as a peak on the DSC curve. The larger the temperature difference, the more pronounced the peak; likewise, the greater the number of temperature‑difference transitions, the more peaks will be observed. Peaks whose maxima point upward are designated as exothermic peaks, whereas those whose maxima point downward are classified as endothermic peaks.

Instrument Features

1. A completely new furnace design, offering improved resolution and baseline stability;

2. Gas flow meter for precise control of the purge gas flow, with data directly recorded in the database;

3. The instrument supports bidirectional control (host‑side control and software‑based control), with real-time data transmission from the device’s lower-level controller, a user‑friendly interface, and straightforward operation.

Technical specifications:

Instrument Principle

During both physical and chemical changes, substances often exhibit thermal effects; the release or absorption of heat reflects changes in the substance’s enthalpy. A differential scanning calorimeter measures, under identical heating conditions, the temperature difference between a sample and a reference material as a function of temperature or time. Differential scanning calorimetry is a technique that, under programmed temperature control, determines the relationship between the power difference between the sample and the reference and the temperature. Our company’s instruments are heat‑flow type differential scanning calorimeters, with the vertical axis representing the heat‑flow difference between the sample and the reference, expressed in mW, and the horizontal axis indicating time (t) or temperature (T), increasing from left to right (any deviation from this convention must be clearly noted). After placing the sample and the reference material into their respective crucibles, the system is heated at a specified rate; if the sample and the reference have roughly similar heat capacities, an ideal differential scanning calorimetric curve can be obtained.

In the figure, T represents the temperature curve recorded by the thermocouple inserted into the reference material. The line AH shows the temperature‑difference curve between the sample and the reference. If no thermal effect occurs in the sample, the temperature difference ΔT between the sample and the reference is zero, yielding a smooth baseline such as that observed between points A–B, D–E, and G–H on the curve. When a thermal effect causes the sample’s temperature to be lower than that of the reference, an endothermic peak appears, with its maximum pointing downward, as seen between B and C. Conversely, if the sample’s temperature exceeds that of the reference, an exothermic peak emerges, with its maximum pointing upward, as between E and F. The number, position, area, direction, height, width, and symmetry of the peaks in the figure reflect the number of physical and chemical transformations occurring in the sample within the measured temperature range, the temperature intervals over which these transitions take place, and the magnitude and sign of the associated thermal effects. In addition to being influenced by the experimental conditions, the peak height, width, and symmetry also depend on kinetic factors governing the sample’s transformation process; consequently, the observed results are far more complex than those predicted by an idealized curve.

Instrument Interface:

1. On the power-on/standby screen, the “Initial State” key is used to view information such as ambient temperature and sample temperature.

Initial screen: Displays ambient temperature, sample temperature, DSC values, and allows manual selection of the carrier gas. To prevent excessive gas flow during the experiment—which could blow the crucible out of the instrument—you can adjust the gas flow rate using the flow meter before starting the run.

2. Parameter Settings: The “Parameter Settings” key is used to configure experimental parameters, typically through the software interface.

Parameter Settings Interface: Parameters can be configured on both the host computer and the instrument interface, allowing users to view the set sample heating rate, target temperature, hold time, atmosphere, and other relevant data. (It is recommended to configure these settings on the host computer to avoid duplicate sample names that could overwrite previous data.)

3. Device Information: The “Device Information” button displays details such as the device type, hardware version, software version, and device ID. Device Information Screen: The administrator access allows authorized personnel to enter the backend, where temperature calibration can be performed (detailed calibration procedures are available upon request).

4. On the operation interface, press the “Start/Stop” button. After initiating the run from the computer software, the current data will be displayed. To start the experiment, configure the experimental parameters and other settings in the software, then click “Run” in the software or tap [Start] on the instrument’s screen. 4. Click [Stop] to halt the system.