Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)

TA INSTRUMENTS Q500-0188

TA INSTRUMENTS Q500-0188

TA INSTRUMENTS Q500-1732

TA INSTRUMENTS Q500-1732 (TGA)

Sample Requirements

The balance can handle samples up to 200 mg in mass although a standard operating mass is 10 - 25 mg.

Summary of Technique

  • The TA Instruments Q500 TGA offers a high temperature limit for your thermal analysis needs. The instrument measures the mass loss of a sample very accurately versus temperature.
  • The temperature can go from room temperature up to 1000 °C with a max ramp rate of 50°C/min.
  • Samples can be tested in an inert nitrogen environment or in air.
  • The automated sampler can accommodate 16 samples that will run in succession

Information Provided & Detection Limits

Volatiles Analysis: Determinations of absorbed, bound, or occluded moisture, and organic volatiles are important analyses for product performance. The figure shows losses of adsorbed moisture or bound-water.

Compositional Analysis: TGA is used to determine sample composition by measuring the weight of each component as it volatilizes or decomposes under controlled conditions of temperature, time, and atmosphere. This figure shows quantitative differences in type, amount, and decomposition mechanism of the main polymers in three paint samples.

Quantification of Filler Content: TGA is a sensitive technique for analyzing and quantifying the filler content of polymeric composites. This figure contains a comparison of the TGA results for a virgin and filled PET sample. The virgin material is first analyzed for comparison. By quantifying the weight loss of the initial lower-temperature decomposition and comparing it to the oxidative decomposition in the second weight loss, the filler content of the composite material is accurately quantified.

Other applications

  • High Resolution™ TGA
  • Modulated TGA™
  • Effect of Additives
  • Verification of Thermal Events
  • Moisture Content & Thermal Stability of a Pharmaceutical Material

Detection Limits

  • Temperature Range: Ambient to 1 000°C
  • Isothermal Temp Accuracy +/- 1°C
  • Controlled Heating Rate 0.1 to 50 °C/min
  • Weighing Precision +/- 0.01%

Lab Location and Contact Information

Location:  Thermal Analysis, Rheology, and Polymer Processing Lab
Point of Contact: Dennis Ndaya
dennis.ndaya@uconn.edu
860-486-4075