Thermogravimetric Analysis

Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) provides an insight into the thermal stability of a material and is a powerful tool to study the deformulation of a variety of materials. A sample of about 10-20mg of a compound is placed on a pan connected to a microbalance which is located inside a furnace. 

The sample is heated at a defined, constant rate in a controlled atmosphere. During the heating process (thermal decomposition), the weight of the sample is monitored as a function of a temperature. Thermal decomposition of a compound leads to the production of volatile components which manifests as mass loss of the sample. 

In TGA we can estimate the amount of polymer, oil, carbon black and inert fillers in rubber compounds. 

Thermogravimetric Analysis- Infra-red Spectrometry (TGA-IR)

When the TGA is coupled to IR spectrometer it enables the volatile decomposition products from the TGA to be identified on the basis of their infra-red spectrum signature.