What Are The Applications Suits TGA?
Thermogravimetry Analysis (TGA) is the technology for measuring the relationship between mass and temperature (or time), under heating or cooling process, or under constant temperature, while the temperature is under control. It is usually used to study the thermal stability of a material, or its composition. TGA is a fast and reliable thermal analysis method, to which is suitable for application in many occasions, and assists scientists or researchers to complete a series of experiments, while th other instruments can’t do. Here are some common TGA test applications:
Ceramics Applications
Silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics has the benefit of low density, high strength under high temperature, corrosion, erosion, abrasion resistance, low thermal expansion coefficient, etc., which is one of the most promising high-temperature structural materials 1300 ℃ environment. It is commonly used in hot, wearing, and harsh environment and related applications.
Heat pressing SiC (HP-SiC) ceramics have the benefits of high density, high bending strength, etc. It has been one of the major research topics in material science. However, due to the oxidation is a factor, which leads the failure of SiC under high temperature. It’s serious limited its scope and field of application, so, the research of the high temperature oxidation behavior of SiC ceramics, as an index for improving the temperature range and lifetime. SiC can be tested by TGA, and it’s oxide growth rate curve and isothermal oxidation kinetics at different temperatures, and then, studying the weight gained of SiC, in high temperature, in order to research the oxidation resistance of SiC ceramic under high temperature.
Metal Materials Applications
TGA in the metal material applications, which can test the of composition of metals and alloys, as well as its thermal stability and lifetime. Besides, it can also test the cleavage kinetics of metallic materials, high temperature oxidation / reduction behavior, and metal corrosion measurement, etc.
Carbon capture
Recently, the application of CaO-based material has its potential research value, in carbon reduction technologies. Especially CaO material, by its higher conversion rate of capturing carbon, and the rate of formation of CaCO3, which are faster and fairly thermodynamically stable characteristics.
The CO2 capture properties of solid CaO materials can be measureed by TGA, since CO2 captured by solid CaO material captured is controlled by diffusion mechanisms. Under the elevated temperature, it captures CO2, and merged with CaO material and generates a dense CaCO3 on the surface layer. The pyrolysis process caused the surface area smaller, under heat pressing phenomenon and results degradation of performance by a long time capturing process. Therefore, by using TGA, one can research the carbon capture response mechanisms, and repeats the process of carbon capture and regeneration, to get the CO2 capature capacity of materials and its high temperature stability.
Chemical loop
Chemical Looping Process (CLP) is technology combines the energy efficiency improvement, carbon dioxide capture, for future Carbon Capture and Storage (CSS). Chemical loop process has both high energy efficiency and carbon dioxide capture in new energy generation process. The process mechanism for the fuel in the reactor and the reactor makes the metal oxide oxygen carriers (Fe2O3) and fuel (CxHy), reacts by oxygen, then, converts them to carbon dioxide and water. Later, while the oxygen carrier is reverted to Fe / FeO with lower oxidation state; Then, the Fe / FeO are delivered to the gas reactor, the gas will be contained oxygen, and return to highest oxidation state, Fe2O3. Via repeatedly oxygen carrier loop between the two reactors, which can effectively balance the oxygen carrier exothermic oxidation reduction and absorption of the two reactors? In the meantime, we can improve the purity of carbon dioxide emissions, and reduce the demand of the separation procedure. In this process, you can use the advantage of Thermal Gravimetric Analyzer (TGA) and apply reduction - oxidation test and their oxygen-carrying capacity, and one can set the loop test by TGA.
Polymer Applications
Among the polymer materials, some of them has very high water absorption capability. We can use TGA to observe the loss of water by setting a constant temperature. Or one can add some inorganic substances (calcium carbonate or glass fiber) into polymer materials, in order to increase its hardness. Due the different and degradation temperature between polymer additives, we can use the multi-temperature curve ability of TGA, and measure the ash content of a polymer material.