Trident™ Thermal Conductivity Application Highlight: Measuring the Specific Heat Capacity of Different Materials using the FLEX TPS Cp Utility
This Application Highlight illustrates the specific heat capacity of different samples measured using C-Therm’s FLEX Transient Plane Source (TPS) system. The specific heat capacity (Cp) of a material represents the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of the material. Not only is understanding the Cp value of a material crucial for thermal simulations, but it also grants access to additional capabilities in other thermal analysis methods. For instance, knowing the material density and Cp data allows for anisotropic separation of thermal transport properties using the TPS anisotropy utility.
Figure 1: A graphic demonstrating the concept of specific heat capacity (Cp)
Cp is typically measured using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) or drop calorimetry. However, these methods either require very small samples to be prepared or are destructive in nature. The Cp Utility available in C-Therm’s FLEX Transient Plane Source (TPS) system offers a capability to measure this property in a non-destructive manner for large and complex samples.