Development of a RheoDSC, an Instrument for Simultaneous Rheological and Calorimetric Measurements

L. Van Lokeren [1], R. Verhelle [1], C. Block [1], P. Van Puyvelde [2], G. Van Assche [1]
[1] Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
[2] Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Published in 2015

Transformations in polymers, such as polymerisation, melting/crystallization, and phase separation/remixing, are associated with changes in both rheological and thermal properties. To permit simultaneous calorimetric and rheometric measurements, the RheoDSC was developed. The RheoDSC combines two commercial instruments, a TA Instruments Q2000 DSC and a TA Instruments AR-G2 dynamic rheometer. A rheological measurement is performed on a sample sitting on a sample plate that is on top of the DSC sensor platform. This plate is fixed using insulated screws on an aluminum insert that sits around the base of the DSC sensor.