Development and evaluation of a TG/DTA/Raman system

Modification of a commercially available TG/DTA instrument enabled development of a working TG/DTA/Raman system. The TG/DTA was modified by replacing a portion of the furnace wall above the sample and reference holders with a double layer insulated quartz window. The quartz window provided ready access for Raman spectroscopy, enabling simultaneous collection of TGA, DTA, and Raman data during thermal analytical experiments. Insertion of the quartz glass window did not impact TGA or DTA performance as demonstrated by the comparison of baseline drift and temperature calibration for modified and unmodified furnaces.