In this work thermal lens spectrometry is applied to investigate the thermo
-optical properties of polymers as a function of the temperature. The metho
d is applied in poly(vinyl chloride) as a testing sample. It is proposed th
at thermal lens spectrometry with minor change in its experimental configur
ation, could be adapted to develop a new tool, called differential thermal
lens scanning, especially designed for the investigation of phase transitio
n in polymers.