# TGA and DSC: how thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry work and how to read the curves

> TGA and DSC explained: mass loss and DTG vs temperature, atmosphere, MOF thermal stability, and glass transition, melting and crystallisation in DSC.

URL: https://www.labcanvas.com/techniques/tga-dsc

Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) records the mass of a sample, and the rate at which it changes, as the sample is heated in a controlled atmosphere; steps in the curve show loss of water and solvent, decomposition and the residue left behind (Abid et al. 2023; Nurazzi et al. 2021). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) records the difference in heat flow needed to keep a sample and a reference at the same temperature, so it shows the glass transition as a step and crystallisation and melting as peaks (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019). Together they tell a chemist how stable a material is, what it contains and which phase transitions it goes through.

Characterisation techniques Published 27 October 2026 Last updated 27 October 2026 6 references

![TGA / DSC: Thermal stability, composition and phase transitions (Mass and heat flow vs temperature)](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/tga-dsc/tga-dsc-cover.webp)

**Contents**

**Contents**

- TGA and DSC (thermal analysis) at a glance
- TGA and DSC (thermal analysis) instrument drawing (high-resolution SVG)
- TGA and DSC (thermal analysis) data: an example plot to edit
- How TGA and DSC work
- What the data looks like and how to read it
- Sample preparation
- What TGA and DSC tell you about materials
- Common mistakes and limits
- How to draw the TGA and DSC setup and data in LabCanvas
- TGA and DSC compared with other thermal analysis methods
- Related techniques
- More on LabCanvas
- Frequently asked questions
- References

## TGA and DSC (thermal analysis) at a glance

| Probe | A programmed temperature ramp (or isothermal hold) in a controlled gas atmosphere (Abid et al. 2023) |
| --- | --- |
| Signal measured (TGA) | Sample mass, and its rate of change, as a function of temperature or time (Abid et al. 2023) |
| Signal measured (DTG) | The first derivative of the TGA curve; its peaks mark the temperatures of fastest mass loss (Nurazzi et al. 2021) |
| Signal measured (DSC) | Difference in heat flow into a sample and a reference kept at the same temperature (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019) |
| Main information | Thermal and oxidative stability, volatile and solvent content, composition, decomposition temperature (Abid et al. 2023); Tg, Tc, Tm, enthalpies and heat capacity from DSC (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019) |
| Atmosphere | Inert (N₂, He, Ar) or oxidative (air, O₂); the atmosphere shifts decomposition temperatures (Nurazzi et al. 2021) |
| Typical sample | Powder or solid piece in a crucible (Nurazzi et al. 2021); DSC handles powders, unlike DMA, which needs a film or solid (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019) |
| DSC temperature range | About −90 to 550 °C for conventional DSC (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019) |
| Corrections | TGA mass is corrected for buoyancy with a blank run (Nurazzi et al. 2021) |
| MOF example | UiO-66 breaks down at 753 K, about 480 °C (Abid et al. 2023; °C calculated); NH₂-UiO-66 at 623 K, about 350 °C (Abid et al. 2023; °C calculated) |

## TGA and DSC (thermal analysis) instrument drawing (high-resolution SVG)

![TGA and DSC (thermal analysis) instrument drawn as a LabCanvas Library object](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/tga-dsc/tga-dsc-drawing.webp)

A thermogravimetric analyser as a LabCanvas Library instrument: the furnace and its controller, with a mass-loss curve on screen. Change colours, labels and view in the figure editor.

[Edit the drawing in LabCanvas](https://www.labcanvas.com/editor.html?add=ch-tga)[Download SVG](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/tga-dsc/tga-dsc-drawing.svg)[Download PNG (3000 px)](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/tga-dsc/tga-dsc-drawing.png)

## TGA and DSC (thermal analysis) data: an example plot to edit

![TGA and DSC (thermal analysis) data plot drawn as a LabCanvas Library object](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/tga-dsc/tga-dsc-plot.webp)

A TGA curve as an editable LabCanvas plot: mass against temperature with the solvent-loss and framework-decomposition steps. Edit the data, labels and colours in the figure editor.

[Edit the plot in LabCanvas](https://www.labcanvas.com/editor.html?add=mof-chart-tga)[Download SVG](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/tga-dsc/tga-dsc-plot.svg)[Download PNG (3000 px)](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/tga-dsc/tga-dsc-plot.png)

## How TGA and DSC work

**TGA.** The sample sits in a crucible on a thermobalance inside a furnace. As the furnace heats at a steady rate in a chosen gas, the instrument records the mass and the rate of mass change against temperature or time (Abid et al. 2023; Nurazzi et al. 2021). The derivative of that curve, **DTG**, turns each step into a peak at the temperature where the mass falls fastest (Nurazzi et al. 2021). The run is done either in an inert gas (nitrogen, helium, argon) or in an oxidising one (air, oxygen), and the choice matters: the main decomposition of wood, for example, peaks at 320–330 °C in air but at 350–370 °C in nitrogen (Nurazzi et al. 2021).

**DSC.** A sample pan and a reference pan are heated together, and the instrument measures the difference in heat flow needed to keep both at the same temperature (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019). A process that absorbs heat (melting) or releases it (crystallisation) shows up as a peak; a change in heat capacity, such as the glass transition, shows up as a step in the baseline (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019). **Modulated DSC** adds a sinusoidal oscillation to the linear ramp, which splits the signal into a reversing part (heat-capacity events such as Tg) and a non-reversing part (kinetic events such as cold crystallisation, curing and degradation) (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019).

Simultaneous TGA–DSC records mass and heat flow in one run, which tells melting (heat flow peak, flat mass) apart from decomposition (heat flow event with a mass step) when they fall close together (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019). These pages sit with the other [characterisation techniques](https://www.labcanvas.com/techniques).

## What the data looks like and how to read it

**A TGA curve** plots mass (usually as a percentage of the starting mass) against temperature. For a freshly made MOF it typically falls in three steps: loss of water and solvent near the solvent boiling point (below 423 K, about 150 °C), loss of solvent and unreacted precursors trapped in the pores, and finally the breakdown of the framework itself (Abid et al. 2023; °C calculated). Read each plateau as a stable composition and each drop as an event; the height of a step gives the mass fraction lost, and the DTG peak gives the temperature at which that loss is fastest (Nurazzi et al. 2021).

**A DSC thermogram** plots heat flow against temperature. Reading from low to high temperature, a typical semicrystalline or amorphous sample shows the **glass transition** (Tg) as a small step, **crystallisation** (Tc) as an exothermic peak, **melting** (Tm) as an endothermic peak and, at the top, **decomposition** (Td) (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019). Melting and crystallisation are first-order transitions with a latent heat, so the peak area gives the enthalpy; the glass transition is a change in heat capacity with no latent heat, which is why it is only a step (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019).

Always note the heating rate and the atmosphere next to the curve. They move the events: the Tg of skim milk powder dropped from 50.3 to 46.2 °C when the heating rate was lowered from 10 to 2 °C min⁻¹ (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019), and decomposition peaks sit lower in air than in nitrogen (Nurazzi et al. 2021).

## Sample preparation

- **Crucible and blank.** Place the sample in a crucible and correct the mass for buoyancy with a blank (empty-crucible) run (Nurazzi et al. 2021).
- **Choose the gas for the question.** Use an inert gas to follow pyrolysis and decomposition, and air or oxygen to follow combustion and oxidative stability (Nurazzi et al. 2021; Leyva-Porras et al. 2019).
- **Run MOFs twice.** Measure the as-made MOF to find the solvent and precursor losses and the decomposition temperature, choose the activation temperature from that, then measure the activated MOF to check that the pores are empty (Abid et al. 2023).
- **Set the degassing temperature from TGA.** Before gas adsorption, degas a MOF below about 75% of its decomposition temperature (Abid et al. 2023); see [BET surface area](https://www.labcanvas.com/techniques/bet).
- **DSC heating rate.** A slower rate and a larger sample can improve the separation of overlapping events in conventional DSC; MDSC is the alternative when events overlap (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019).

## What TGA and DSC tell you about materials

**Thermal stability of MOFs.** TGA is the standard way to report how hot a framework can go. The stability depends mainly on the metal–ligand bond and on the functional groups of the linker: high-valence metals and highly connected clusters raise it, and polar substituents lower it (Abid et al. 2023). In [UiO-66](https://www.labcanvas.com/mof/uio-66) the framework breaks down at 753 K (about 480 °C), while the 2OH- and NO₂-substituted versions break down at 645 K (about 372 °C) and NH₂-UiO-66 at 623 K (about 350 °C) (Abid et al. 2023; °C calculated); the original report of the Zr MOFs gives a decomposition temperature above 500 °C (Cavka et al. 2008). [ZIF-8](https://www.labcanvas.com/mof/zif-8) is thermally stable up to 550 °C (Park et al. 2006). [HKUST-1](https://www.labcanvas.com/mof/hkust-1) is stable up to 240 °C by TGA and high-temperature single-crystal diffraction (Chui et al. 1999). Weaker examples: MOF-801 decomposes at 548 K (about 275 °C) and Mn-BTT at 473 K (about 200 °C) (Abid et al. 2023; °C calculated). Zeolites, by comparison, are known for combining porosity with high thermal stability (Chui et al. 1999); see [zeolites](https://www.labcanvas.com/zeolites).

**Composition.** The size of each mass step gives the fraction of water, solvent, organic linker or polymer in a sample, and the residue gives the inorganic content (Abid et al. 2023; Nurazzi et al. 2021). Combine it with [XRD](https://www.labcanvas.com/techniques/xrd) to check that the framework survives the temperature you heat it to, and with [FTIR](https://www.labcanvas.com/techniques/ftir) to see which groups leave.

**Phase transitions.** DSC gives Tg, Tc and Tm and their enthalpies, polymorphism and purity for polymers, foods and drugs (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019). Water plasticises amorphous solids and lowers Tg, which DSC tracks as a function of water content (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019).

## Common mistakes and limits

- **Calling the first mass loss "decomposition".** The first step in an as-made MOF is usually solvent leaving; the framework breaks down in the last step (Abid et al. 2023).
- **Comparing numbers measured differently.** Decomposition temperatures depend on the atmosphere (Nurazzi et al. 2021) and on how the material was made and activated (Abid et al. 2023); quote the gas, the heating rate and how you defined the temperature (onset or DTG peak).
- **Reading a melting peak as decomposition, or the other way round.** If a DSC event coincides with a TGA mass step, it is decomposition, not melting; simultaneous TGA–DSC settles it (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019).
- **Missing a weak Tg.** In conventional DSC the glass transition can hide under other events; in modulated DSC it appears clearly in the reversing heat flow (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019).
- **Ignoring heating-rate effects.** Transition temperatures shift with heating rate (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019).
- **No chemical identity.** TGA says how much mass leaves, not what it is; FTIR before and after heating shows which groups have gone (Abid et al. 2023); see [FTIR](https://www.labcanvas.com/techniques/ftir).

## How to draw the TGA and DSC setup and data in LabCanvas

In the LabCanvas figure editor, the Library has a thermal analyser as an editable object, including a cutaway of the furnace with the crucible on the balance and the purge-gas path, and an editable data plot for TGA, DTG and DSC curves. You can label the mass-loss steps and the Tg, Tc and Tm events, add the atmosphere and heating rate to the axis, and export the result at high resolution for a methods figure or a graphical abstract.

## TGA and DSC compared with other thermal analysis methods

| Technique | What it measures | Sample | Typical use |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TGA / DTG | Mass and rate of mass change vs temperature or time in a controlled atmosphere | Powder or solid in a crucible | Volatiles, decomposition, residue, thermal stability (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019; Nurazzi et al. 2021) |
| DSC / MDSC | Heat-flow difference between sample and reference | Powder or solid in a pan | Tg, Tc, Tm, enthalpy, heat capacity; about −90 to 550 °C (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019) |
| DMA | Storage modulus, loss modulus and tan δ under oscillating force | Solid or film | Preferred for Tg of solids; gives Tg as a range (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019) |
| TMA | Dimensional change under load and temperature | Powders, fibres, coatings, films | Thermal expansion, softening point, Tm, Tg (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019) |

## Related techniques

[![XRD: Crystal structure, phase and crystallite size (nλ = 2d sin θ)](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/xrd/xrd-cover.webp) Technique nλ = 2d sin θ X-ray diffraction (XRD) X-ray diffraction explained: Bragg’s law, how to read an XRD pattern, phase identification, Scherrer crystallite size, Rietveld refinement and common mistakes.](https://www.labcanvas.com/techniques/xrd)

[![BET: Surface area, pore size and pore volume (N₂ isotherm at 77 K)](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/bet/bet-cover.webp) Technique N₂ isotherm at 77 K Gas sorption and BET surface area BET surface area explained: N₂ sorption at 77 K, IUPAC isotherm types, the BET range and Rouquerol criteria, pore size, degassing and limits for MOFs.](https://www.labcanvas.com/techniques/bet)

[![FTIR: Functional groups from infrared absorption (A = log₁₀(I₀/I))](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/ftir/ftir-cover.webp) Technique A = log₁₀(I₀/I) Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy FTIR spectroscopy explained: infrared absorption by bond vibrations, the interferometer and Fourier transform, wavenumber regions, ATR and reading bands.](https://www.labcanvas.com/techniques/ftir)

[![XPS: Surface elements and chemical states, top ~10 nm (BE = hν − KE)](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/xps/xps-cover.webp) Technique BE = hν − KE X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) XPS explained: binding energy, 2–10 nm surface sensitivity, survey vs high-resolution spectra, chemical shifts, C 1s charge referencing and depth profiling.](https://www.labcanvas.com/techniques/xps)

## More on LabCanvas

- [All characterisation techniques](https://www.labcanvas.com/techniques): XRD, XPS, BET, SEM, TEM, NMR, FTIR, Raman and more, explained with cited sources
- [Graphical abstract sizes and templates](https://www.labcanvas.com/graphical-abstracts): ACS, Wiley, Angewandte, RSC, Elsevier and Cell Press, with templates at the right size
- [Materials explained](https://www.labcanvas.com/blog/materials): MOFs, COFs, 2D materials, perovskites, batteries and zeolites, with cited facts
- [Journal figure size guide](https://www.labcanvas.com/blog/journal-figure-size-guide): Column widths and resolutions for 38 journals

## Frequently asked questions

### What is TGA used for?

TGA measures how the mass of a sample changes as it is heated in a controlled atmosphere. It is used to find thermal and oxidative stability, the content of water, solvent and other volatiles, the composition and the decomposition temperature (Abid et al. 2023).

### How do you read a TGA curve?

Read each flat plateau as a stable composition and each drop as an event: the height of the drop is the mass fraction lost and the DTG peak is the temperature of fastest loss. For an as-made MOF the steps are usually solvent loss, then loss of trapped precursors, then breakdown of the framework (Abid et al. 2023; Nurazzi et al. 2021).

### What is DTG in thermogravimetric analysis?

DTG is the derivative of the TGA mass curve with respect to temperature or time. Each mass-loss step becomes a peak, so overlapping steps are easier to separate and the temperature of maximum decomposition rate can be read directly (Nurazzi et al. 2021).

### Should TGA be run in nitrogen or air?

Use an inert gas (nitrogen, helium, argon) to follow decomposition without oxidation and air or oxygen to follow oxidative stability and combustion. Decomposition peaks usually sit at lower temperature in air, for example 320–330 °C for wood in air versus 350–370 °C in nitrogen (Nurazzi et al. 2021).

### What is DSC used for?

DSC measures the heat-flow difference between a sample and a reference to find the glass transition, crystallisation and melting temperatures, their enthalpies, heat capacity, polymorphism and purity (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019).

### How do you read a DSC curve?

The glass transition appears as a step in the baseline, crystallisation as an exothermic peak and melting as an endothermic peak; decomposition comes at the highest temperatures. Peak areas give the enthalpy of the transition (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019).

### TGA vs DSC: what is the difference?

TGA measures mass change, so it sees only events that release or take up mass, such as drying and decomposition. DSC measures heat flow, so it also sees events without mass change, such as the glass transition, crystallisation and melting. Simultaneous TGA–DSC records both in one run (Leyva-Porras et al. 2019).

### How thermally stable are MOFs?

It depends on the metal–ligand bond and the linker: UiO-66 breaks down at 753 K (about 480 °C) while NH₂-UiO-66 breaks down at 623 K (Abid et al. 2023); ZIF-8 is stable to 550 °C (Park et al. 2006) and HKUST-1 to 240 °C (Chui et al. 1999).

## References

- H. R. Abid, M. R. Azhar, S. Iglauer, Z. H. Rada, A. Al-Yaseri, A. Keshavarz. Physiochemical characterization of metal organic framework materials: a mini review. *Heliyon* 2023, 10, e23840. [doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23840](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23840)
- C. Leyva-Porras et al.. Application of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC) in food and drug industries. *Polymers* 2019, 12, 5. [doi:10.3390/polym12010005](https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12010005)
- N. M. Nurazzi et al.. Thermogravimetric analysis properties of cellulosic natural fiber polymer composites: a review on influence of chemical treatments. *Polymers* 2021, 13, 2710. [doi:10.3390/polym13162710](https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13162710)
- K. S. Park et al.. Exceptional chemical and thermal stability of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks. *Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA* 2006, 103, 10186–10191. [doi:10.1073/pnas.0602439103](https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0602439103)
- S. S. Chui, S. M. Lo, J. P. Charmant, A. G. Orpen, I. D. Williams. A chemically functionalizable nanoporous material. *Science* 1999, 283, 1148–1150. [doi:10.1126/science.283.5405.1148](https://doi.org/10.1126/science.283.5405.1148)
- J. H. Cavka et al.. A new zirconium inorganic building brick forming metal organic frameworks with exceptional stability. *J. Am. Chem. Soc.* 2008, 130, 13850–13851. [doi:10.1021/ja8057953](https://doi.org/10.1021/ja8057953)

## Draw TGA and DSC (thermal analysis) figures for your paper

LabCanvas is a browser workspace for scientific figures: instruments with their beam and light paths, editable data plots, crystal structures, graphs and graphical abstracts at journal sizes.

[Draw TGA and DSC (thermal analysis) in LabCanvas](https://www.labcanvas.com/editor.html?add=ch-tga)

**Contents**

- TGA and DSC (thermal analysis) at a glance
- TGA and DSC (thermal analysis) instrument drawing (high-resolution SVG)
- TGA and DSC (thermal analysis) data: an example plot to edit
- How TGA and DSC work
- What the data looks like and how to read it
- Sample preparation
- What TGA and DSC tell you about materials
- Common mistakes and limits
- How to draw the TGA and DSC setup and data in LabCanvas
- TGA and DSC compared with other thermal analysis methods
- Related techniques
- More on LabCanvas
- Frequently asked questions
- References