DSC: New Developments in Clinical Analysis and Physiochemical Research

Over the last decade the field of Thermal Analysis has made significant contributions to a surprising number of fields. In the multifaceted field of polymer science, it has provided a universal tool for ascertaining and predicting the effect of preparation and thermal history on the physical properties of polymers. One reason for this is that a great deal of information about the overall structural state of a complex macromolecular system is revealed in the heat capacity. By establishing correlations between thermal phenomena and viscoelastic properties, these properties can be usefully assessed by differential scanning calorimetry (Dsc). Another area where complex systemsof macromolecules are of great interest is that of biochemistry and clinical analysis. The question is to what extent can the heat capacity of a clinically accessible sample give useful diagnostic information.