Temperature modulated calorimetry and dielectric spectroscopy in the glass transition region of polymers

The results from temperature modulated DSC in the glass transition region of amorphous and semicrystalline polymers are described with the linear response approach. The real and the imaginary part of the complex heat capacity are discussed. The findings are compared with those of dielectric spectroscopy. The frequency dependent glass transition temperature can be fitted with a VFT-equation. The transition frequencies are decreased by 0.5 to 1 orders of magnitude compared to dielectric measurements. Cooling rates from standard DSC are transformed into frequencies. The glass transition temperatures are also approximated by the VFT-fit from the temperature modulated measurements. The differences in the shape of the curves from amorphous and semicrystalline samples are discussed.