Performance analysis of the infrared thermography method for complex phase diagrams estimation

An infrared thermography method for the fast estimation of phase diagrams is progressively being challenged to assess the extent of its potential. Being simple, fast and at relatively low cost, it has successfully been applied to binary systems of organic materials of increasing complexity. A test campaign is now undergoing, aiming at evaluating the influence of experimental parameters on the efficiency of the method. In this work, the impact of the acquisition frequency and the heating rate on the accuracy of the estimated phase diagrams is assessed. Based on the estimation of the phase diagrams of three binary systems of fatty alcohols and fatty acids, the accuracy deviation for phase transitions detection is evaluated in comparison with measurements made by differential scanning calorimetry. Optimized parameters both in terms of heating and acquisition rates are determined to further improve the method.