The benefits of Modulated Temperature DSC (MTDSC) over conventional differe
ntial scanning calorimetry (DSC) for studying thermal transitions in materi
als are reviewed by means of examples. These include the separation of over
lapping phenomena such as melting/recrystallization in semi-crystalline mat
erials, the heat capacity variation and enthalpic relaxation at the glass t
ransition, and transitions from the different components of a blend. In add
ition, examples are presented demonstrating the ability of MTDSC to detect
subtle transitions more readily and without loss of resolution. The possibi
lity of measuring heat capacity in quasi-isothermal conditions and the eval
uation of the thermal conductivity of a material are explained. (C) 1999 El
sevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.