Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is a method for determining the change in weight of a material as a function of temperature and time. It is used at Fraunhofer IMWS in materials research and analysis to obtain information about the thermal degradation, composition, and stability of samples. In TGA, the sample is placed in a special TGA cell and heated under controlled conditions. As the temperature rises or falls, the TGA device continuously measures the change in weight of the sample. The change in weight can be caused by evaporation, thermal decomposition, oxidation, or other chemical reactions.
Thermogravimetric analysis enables various investigations, including:
- Determination of the content of volatile components: TGA can be used to determine the content of volatile compounds in a sample by tracking the change in weight during the heating process.
- Identification of thermal degradation and decomposition events: TGA can provide information about the temperatures at which a sample begins to decompose or degrade. This can indicate changes in the chemical structure or composition.
- Determination of the stability of materials: Thermogravimetric analysis can be used to evaluate the thermal stability of materials and determine how they behave at different temperatures. The results of TGA analysis are usually presented as TGA curves, which plot the change in weight against temperature. This data is useful for understanding the behavior of materials at high temperatures, analyzing the composition of samples, and evaluating the stability of materials.