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Scanning AC Nanocalorimetry and Its Applications

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Abstract

Scanning AC nanocalorimetry using thermistor-based nanocalorimetry sensors enables calorimetric measurements on nanoscale quantities of materials over a wide range of scanning rates (from isothermal to 3 × 103 K/s), temperatures (up to 1400 K), and environments. The range of scanning rates bridges the gap between adiabatic nanocalorimetry and bulk calorimetry. As such, the technique can be used to address a broad range of materials problems, and it is especially well suited to investigate the kinetics of phase transformations in thin films. Because AC nanocalorimetry is largely insensitive to heat loss, it is ideal for studying solid-state reactions at elevated temperatures, as well as solid–gas phase reactions. The dynamic range of scanning AC nanocalorimetry makes it compatible with in situ characterization techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, allowing simultaneous structural and thermal characterization of the samples as a function of temperature.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for support by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under Grants FA9550-08-1-0374 and FA9550-12-1-0098, and by the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Harvard University, which is funded by the National Science Foundation under Award No. DMR-14-20570.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA

    Kechao Xiao & Joost J. Vlassak

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  1. Kechao Xiao
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  2. Joost J. Vlassak
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Correspondence to Joost J. Vlassak .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Physics, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany

    Christoph Schick

  2. SciTe B.V., Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Geleen, The Netherlands

    Vincent Mathot

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Xiao, K., Vlassak, J.J. (2016). Scanning AC Nanocalorimetry and Its Applications. In: Schick, C., Mathot, V. (eds) Fast Scanning Calorimetry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31329-0_6

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