Fast Scanning Calorimetry

In the past decades, the scan rate range of calorimeters has been extended tremendously at the high end, from approximately 10 up to 10 000 000 °C/s and more. The combination of various calorimeters and the newly-developed Fast Scanning Calorimeters (FSC) now span 11 orders of magnitude, by which many processes can be mimicked according to the time scale(s) of chemical and physical transitions occurring during cooling, heating and isothermal stays in case heat is exchanged. This not only opens new areas of research on polymers, metals, pharmaceuticals and all kinds of substances with respect to glass transition, crystallization and melting phenomena, it also enables in-depth study of metastability and reorganization of samples on an 1 to 1000 ng scale. In addition, FSC will become a crucial tool for understanding and optimization of processing methods at high speeds like injection molding. The book resembles the state-of-the art in Thermal Analysis & Calorimetry and is an excellent starting point for both experts and newcomers in the field.  

Christoph Schick is Professor at the Institute of Physics of the University of Rostock and is Head of the Polymer Physics Group. His research focuses on advanced calorimetry, like temperature modulated or fast scanning, applied to polymers, metals, and other substances. He is interested in crystallization, nucleation, and glass transition in these materials. He authored or coauthored about 300 publications and received the Mettler Toledo Award of NATAS, The James J. Christensen Memorial Award of the Calorimetry Conference and the Wissenschaftspreis of GEFTA.

Vincent Mathot performed research at DSM Research, SciTe BV (both in the Netherlands) and as guest professor at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium) on molecular structure; crystallization and melting; morphology; thermal properties; relationships between these topics with regard to polymeric systems; as well as development of methods and advanced instrumentation. Throughout his aim was to link quantitative, fundamental research to applications, and to make the results found available to the scientific community by publications and lectures. He edited a book and a special issue on thermal properties of polymers, and is recipient of the Mettler-Toledo Award of NATAS and the TA Instruments ICTAC Award for his thermal analysis activities.