Eur. Phys. J. Appl. Phys. 56, 11201 (2011)
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjap/2011110075

Scanning calorimeter for microliter-scaled samples based on lithium tantalite pyroelectric bulk material

¹ Institut d’Électronique du Sud, IES, Université Montpellier II, UMR CNRS 5214, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France
² Laboratoire de Physique Appliquée (LPA), Département de Physique, Université Libanaise, Faculté des Sciences II, 90656 Jdeidet, Lebanon
³ École supérieure d’ingénieurs de Beyrouth, Campus des Sciences et Technologies, Mar Roukoz, B.P. 1514, Riad El Solh, Beyrouth 1107 2050, Lebanon

^a e-mail: sami.youssef@ies.univ-montp2.fr

Received: 21 February 2011
Revised: 3 August 2011
Accepted: 5 August 2011
Published online: 28 September 2011

Abstract

We report the design and operation of a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) for use with either solid or liquid samples with a volume down to a few microliters. The calorimeter is based on lithium tantalite pyroelectric bulk material used to perceive the energy involved in any phase transformation process. The device consists of a pyroelectric substrate, a thermoelectric cooler and a heat dissipation system. Its effectiveness is demonstrated by scanning the freezing and melting phase shifts of water droplets, ranging from 1 to 2 μl. The latent heat of fusion and solidification were measured to within 3% of the bulk value.