Studying the glass transition by DSC and TMDSC

First, the principal features of the glass transformation process in polymers are reviewed, and then it is shown how they are manifest in conventional DSC, and the quantitative analysis of typical DSC data is discussed in terms of the Tool-Narayanaswamy-Moynihan (TNM) model. Subsequently, the way in which the glass transition is manifest in Temperature Modulated DSC is presented, and the effects of both experimental and material parameters are discussed. In conclusion, the two techniques are compared in terms of the information they provide about the glass transformation process.