THERMAL-ANALYSIS USING MASS-SPECTROMETRY - A REVIEW

Thermal analysis combined with mass spectrometric analysis is a powerful tool for studying thermal degradation pathways of materials. Early work in catalysis developed much of the theory necessary to obtain kinetic information from the degradation reactions observed when samples are heated in a temperature-programmed fashion. Since mass spectrometry is a vacuum technique, many problems exist when efficient coupling of thermal systems to mass analyzers is sought. Trade-offs must be made between minimizing pyrolysate condensation and maximizing sample temperature/weight measurement accuracy. These compromises have led to a wide range of instrumental approaches and terminology. The underlying theory and information obtained remain similar, however, regardless of the instrumental approach. Techniques which yield chemical information during thermal degradation by intimately coupling a sample heating element or furnace to a mass spectrometer are reviewed and presented as fundamentally identical. Issues pertinent to all the methods are discussed, including theory, sources of error, and systems suitable for thermal analysis mass spectrometry. © 1990.