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A Differential Thermal Analysis Apparatus for Exploring the Glass Transition
written by William R. Heffner
Glass is among the most common materials in our everyday lives. And yet the science behind this interesting, complex and ubiquitous material is seldom considered in the undergraduate science curriculum. The glass transition (Tg) is both a fundamental and defining concept in understanding the glassy state. To facilitate the experimental exploration of this important topic we have developed a simple home-built apparatus for measuring the Tg and the associated relaxation phenomena. The simple differential thermal analysis (DTA) apparatus requires only basic mechanical and electronic construction skills yet provides excellent resolution of the Tg for the low temperature sugar glasses examined. We also demonstrate the strong effect of thermal history on Tg, including both the effect of cooling rate and aging. This apparatus provides an interesting and intuitive path to the student's exploration and understanding of the glassy state and provides a resource for deeper, independent and open-ended study of the relaxation phenomena, especially appropriate for an advanced undergraduate laboratory.
2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College
Part of the BFY Conference series
College Park, MD: July 22-24, 2015
Pages 36-39
Subjects Levels Resource Types
Education Practices
- Curriculum Development
= Laboratory
Modern Physics
- Condensed Matter
Thermo & Stat Mech
- Phase Transitions
- Upper Undergraduate
- Instructional Material
= Laboratory
- Reference Material
= Article
Material Category Formats Ratings
- Articles and Supplements
- application/pdf
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Format:
application/pdf
Mirror:
https://doi.org/10.1119/bfy.2015.…
Access Rights:
Free access
License:
This material is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the published article's author(s), title, proceedings citation, and DOI.
Rights Holder:
American Association of Physics Teachers
DOI:
10.1119/bfy.2015.pr.009
NSF Number:
0844014
PACSs:
01.50.Pa
07.50.-e
Keywords:
BFY 2015, DTA, calorimeter, education, glass transition, material science, physics, relaxation
Record Cloner:
Metadata instance created November 17, 2015 by Lyle Barbato
Record Updated:
November 19, 2015 by Bruce Mason
Last Update
when Cataloged:
November 17, 2015
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AIP Format
W. Heffner, , presented at the 2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College, College Park, MD, 2015, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13801&DocID=4221).
AJP/PRST-PER
W. Heffner, A Differential Thermal Analysis Apparatus for Exploring the Glass Transition, presented at the 2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College, College Park, MD, 2015, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13801&DocID=4221>.
APA Format
Heffner, W. (2015, July 22-24). A Differential Thermal Analysis Apparatus for Exploring the Glass Transition. Paper presented at 2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College, College Park, MD. Retrieved December 12, 2024, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13801&DocID=4221
Chicago Format
Heffner, William. "A Differential Thermal Analysis Apparatus for Exploring the Glass Transition." Paper presented at the 2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College, College Park, MD, July 22-24, 2015. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13801&DocID=4221 (accessed 12 December 2024).
MLA Format
Heffner, William. "A Differential Thermal Analysis Apparatus for Exploring the Glass Transition." 2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College. College Park, MD: 2015. 36-39 of BFY Conference. 12 Dec. 2024 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13801&DocID=4221>.
BibTeX Export Format
@inproceedings{ Author = "William Heffner", Title = {A Differential Thermal Analysis Apparatus for Exploring the Glass Transition}, BookTitle = {2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College}, Pages = {36-39}, Address = {College Park, MD}, Series = {BFY Conference}, Month = {July 22-24}, Year = {2015} }
Refer Export Format

%A William Heffner %T A Differential Thermal Analysis Apparatus for Exploring the Glass Transition %S BFY Conference %D July 22-24 2015 %P 36-39 %C College Park, MD %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13801&DocID=4221 %O 2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College %O July 22-24 %O application/pdf

EndNote Export Format

%0 Conference Proceedings %A Heffner, William %D July 22-24 2015 %T A Differential Thermal Analysis Apparatus for Exploring the Glass Transition %B 2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College %C College Park, MD %P 36-39 %S BFY Conference %8 July 22-24 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13801&DocID=4221


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