Replacement of aging differential scanning calorimeter and thermal gravimetric analyzer

The Department of Chemistry requests funding to replace a pair of Departmental thermal analysis instruments that are crucial to energy-related research projects and programs. These instruments (differential scanning calorimeter, DSC, and thermogravimetric analyzer, TGA) will be equipped with sample changers to enable 24-hour use. A chiller will be purchased to enable low-temperature and modulated DSC. Departmental shared instruments are available to everyone in the Department and we have a strong record of making these instruments available to others outside of the Department. As with the 15-year-old instruments that they will replace, the instruments will be maintained by the Department. While we intend these instruments to be available to all who need them, research groups with energy-related research projects will make up the lion’s share of the users. Within the Department, a broad range of energy-related projects that use thermal analysis instruments are underway, with funding from the agencies including National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, NASA and Petroleum Research Fund of the American Chemical Society.