The challenge of methods of thermal analysis in solid state and materials chemistry

Abstract

Abstract Thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) are traditional, but still useful, experimental techniques for obtaining information in the realms of materials and solid state chemistry. This paper presents two case studies (many more could be cited) to illustrate the strengths (and limitations) of these techniques: (1) Iron doping of clinoptilolite (the most common zeolite): the typical parameters of both components appear clearly in the TG and DTA curves. The decrease of the Tmax value of the structurally-typical DTA effect of FeOOH by approximately 100°C is attributed to the weakening of chemical bonds in FeOOH due to the incorporation of the doping component into the structure of this zeolite. (2) Macrodefect-free (MDF) materials: the results of both TG and DTA unambiguously locate the typical temperature range of the decomposition of the P{4}–O–Al/Fe{6} cross-links within the interval of 200–300°C. The presence of cross-links is shown by the DTA data while the TG data can be used to measure the degree of cross-linking, which is valuable information when studying both raw mixes and the final materials for a variety of MDF materials.