ABSTRACT
Thermal analysis (TA) represents a family of techniques in which a given physical property of the sample (in the condensed phase) is recorded as a function of time, temperature, or both under a controlled static or flowing inert or reactive gas atmosphere. Thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and differential thermal analysis (DTA) are three of the most representative and most commonly used TA techniques. Mass, enthalpy, and temperature (actually the difference between the sample and a suitable reference) are the physical properties measured during a TG, DSC, or DTA experiment, respectively, mainly under nonisothermal conditions at a constant heating rate.
