Selecting Pans for Melting Point Analysis?

Imprecise or slow-reacting pans cause broad, shifted melting peaks and make it hard to characterize polymers. Too often, melting temperatures vary between runs due to the wrong pan style.

Choose small, flat high-purity aluminum pans for melting analysis. A tight seal prevents vapor loss, and uniform contact ensures the best heat transfer and sharp melting transitions.

 

Pans for Melting Point Analysis Table

Pan Feature	Influence on Melting Point	Best Practice	Reference
Small, flat base	Reduces lag, sharper peak	For pure polymer powder	Polymer Journal
Hermetic sealing	Prevents sample loss	For volatile or low-mass samples	ScienceDirect
Smooth surface	Even thermal contact	Match to DSC tray	Instrument manual

I always run standards first in small hermetic pans. This method produces tight, reliable melting data for all common and specialty polymers in my lab.

 

Best Pans for Crystallization Studies?

Uneven heating and inaccurate synchronization between pan and sample often create noisy or split crystallization peaks. These errors interfere with accurate analysis of polymer structure.

Use high-purity aluminum pans with medium depth and a vented lid for crystallization. This allows slow cooling, controls pressure build-up, and supports optimal observation of crystal formation in polymers.

 

Pans for Crystallization Table

Pan Characteristic	Crystal Peak Quality	Sample Type	External Resource
Medium depth	Promotes uniform growth	Polymer blends, additives	Nature
Vented/semi-hermetic lid	Reduces gas build-up, preserves shape	Semi-crystalline polymers	Instrument catalog
Certified 99.99% Al	Eliminates artifacts	All compositions	Aluminum

I standardize on vented pans for crystallization experiments and monitor peak area and onset in at least three repeats. Pan quality affects every detail in polymeric crystal analysis.

 

Choosing Pans for Glass Transition Temperature Measurements?

A bad pan match to Tg work results in baseline noise and obscured transitions, making it hard to assign glass transitions accurately or compare polymer batches.

Thin, high-purity aluminum pans with excellent mass consistency minimize background and heat lag. Flat lids are best unless you expect volatile species. A tight fit boosts access to weak glass transitions.

 

Pans for Glass Transition Table

Pan Feature	Improvement for Tg	Polymer Sample	Supporting Source
Uniform thickness	Stable, low-noise baseline	Amorphous polymers	ScienceDirect
Consistent mass	Repeatable data across runs	Polymer–copolymer blends	Lab SOP
Flat or easy-press lid	Faster setup, less error	Routine Tg mapping	Instrument manual

I audit pan mass and thickness before important runs. For formal quality checks, I log pan IDs to verify the repeatability of each glass transition result.

 

Considering Sample Volume and Pan Size?

Volume and pan size have a direct impact on signal quality and detection reliability in all DSC tests. Too much or too little sample can lead to overflows, poor peaks, or hidden transitions.

Small pans suit microgram- to milligram-level samples, offering the highest peak clarity for limited or precious polymers. Large pans are better for high-mass blends or when phase transitions are weak and need a bigger signal.

 

Pan Size & Volume Table

Pan Size	Volume Range (μL)	Ideal Application	External Source
Micro	5–20	Trace or specialty samples	Instrument manual
Standard	30–50	Routine polymer QC	ScienceDirect
Large	80–100+	Bulk/low sensitivity blends	DSC wiki

I train my team to estimate ideal sample mass for each pan type and test new sample sets with both small and large pans to optimize detection for challenging polymers.