DSC vs DTA

DSC and DTA are thermoanalytical techniques. Both have almost the same applications and usages in analysis, but the techniques involved in the analysis are different. One is based on the temperature difference while the other is based on the heat flow difference.

DSC
“DSC” stands for “Differential Scanning Calorimetry.” It is a thermoanalytical technique. For this technique, a reference and the sample which requires analysis are required. In this technique, the difference is calculated between the amount of heat needed to increase the temperature of the sample and the heat required to increase the temperature of the reference. The temperature of the sample as well as the reference is maintained throughout. The experiment is designed in such a way that the temperature increases in a linear manner with time. During the phase transition, the heat required is either more or less than the reference depending upon the process being endothermic or exothermic
The technique was developed by M. J. O’Neill and E.S. Watson in 1962. DSC is actually an instrument developed by Privalov and Monaselidze in the year 1964 to measure the heat capacity and energy precisely. The difference in heat flow between a reference and a sample helps the DSC to precisely measure the heat released or absorbed during the transition phase.

During the experiment or technique, a curve is obtained between the heat flux and temperature or the heat flux and time. Enthalpies of transitions are calculated by this curve. Mostly the DSC instruments are basically a heat-flux design, but others are also available like power-compensated DSC.
DSC is used in measuring a glass transition, phase changes, purity evaporation, melting, purity crystallization, sublimation, polymerization, heat capacity, compatibility, pyrolysis, etc.

DTA
“DTA” stands for “Differential Thermal Analysis.” This is also a thermoanalytical technique. For DTA experiments, a reference and a sample are required. The main difference between DTA and DSC is that DTA technique requires to find out the difference in temperature between a sample and a reference when the heat flow is kept the same. The heat flow is maintained throughout the experiment for reference as well as the sample and observation is made in the phase changes and changes in other thermal processes.
The instrument which uses DTA technique to analyze thermal processes is called a DTA instrument. DTA instruments are also used to measure a glass transition, phase changes, purity evaporation, melting, purity crystallization, sublimation, polymerization, heat capacity, compatibility, pyrolysis, etc.

Summary:

1.“DSC” stands for “Differential Scanning Calorimetry” while “DTA” stands for “Differential Thermal Analysis.”
2DSC is a technique in which the difference is calculated between the amount of heat needed (heat flow) to increase the temperature of the sample and the heat required to increase the temperature of the reference while DTA is a technique in which the difference is calculated between the temperatures required by the reference and the sample when the heat flow is kept the same for both.
3.DSC is an instrument based on the DSC technique used to measure heat released or absorbed during the transition phase while DTA is an instrument based on the DTA technique.

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