APPLICATIONS OF THERMAL-ANALYSIS TO THE STUDY OF INORGANIC MATERIALS

Three examples are selected from the author's current work to illustrate the important role that thermoanalytical techniques play in the characterization of inorganic materials and their processing. The first example deals with the crystal growth, phase equilibria, and defect structure of lithium niobate. This is a prominent material used in electro-optical devices. The second example deals with the relatively new electro-optical material, KTiOAsO4. Its thermal stability and expansion will be discussed. Some information is also included on the ferroelectric transition temperature and the melting point. The final topic is an application of thermomagnetometry to study the thermal decomposition of solid solutions and physically mixed oxalates of nickel and cobalt in an inert atmosphere. The magnetic transition temperature is used to establish whether the metal initially formed is an alloy or mixture of pure metals.