Quality Control of Advanced Materials with Thermal Analysis

As the market for advanced materials continues to grow, thermal analysis becomes increasingly critical for efficient, reliable quality assurance of innovative materials.

The advanced materials market is on track to double in size by 2035, driven by growing demand in electronics, aerospace, defense, green energy, and construction.¹ Examples of currently investigated advanced materials include phase change materials used in thermal energy storage, building materials, and aircraft, carbon-fiber reinforced polymers and thermoplastics used in aerospace, and silicone carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) for semiconductors and high-frequency electronic applications.

As material engineers innovate to improve mechanical, physical, and chemical properties of advanced materials, they must also verify the safety, reliability, and regulatory compliance of new designs. Quality control is a must for reliable and consistent manufacturing products from new advanced materials. Investing in QC ultimately lowers production costs and reduces waste, supporting more efficient workflows resulting in consistently reliable products.

A critical step in advanced materials QC is thermal analysis: a suite of techniques that measure how temperature changes affect a material’s properties. Thermal analysis supports evaluations of:

• Processing effects: How does a change in curing or extrusion temperature change the final material’s structure and properties?
• Stability and degradation: At what point does the material begin to thermally degrade, and how stable is it under repeated heat exposure?
• End-use performance: How will the material withstand real-world use conditions, and how will extreme conditions affect its durability and reliability?

The following four thermal analysis techniques are cornerstones of advanced materials quality control, as evidenced by the research examples cited here. Continue reading to learn how leading materials laboratories use these methods to verify that raw materials meet desired specifications and ensure final material quality and reliability.

Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measures weight change at controlled temperatures, revealing stability, mass loss events, filler and organic material content, and decomposition temperature. For example, researchers used a TA Instruments TGA to compare degradation and thermal stability of two hot melt adhesives: epoxy phenol novolac resin (EPN) and a novel hydrogen-bonded multifunctional hybrid cyclic carbonate (HCC).² HCC was shown to have higher thermal stability and degradation at a higher temperature, making it more suitable for hot-melt adhesive applications.

TGA is often paired with evolved gas analysis, which supports assessment of material composition and potential impurities. TGA-EGA proved valuable in our study of polyether ether ketone (PEEK), a thermoplastic commonly used in aerospace, defense, electronics, automotive, and any application requiring high heat, chemical resistance, and electrical insulation.³ TGA was used to determine the relative stability, mass loss events, filler content, and decomposition temperature. Chemical analysis of the evolved gases allowed for identification of the decomposition products, which is useful for identifying impurities and verifying high-temperature degradation mechanisms and reaction products.

Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) measures heat flows associated with thermal transitions, such as melting, crystallization, and glass transition. These transitions are essential for optimizing advanced material manufacturing processes, such as extrusion or curing, and validating product quality.

Proper curing time and temperature are essential for product quality, and simply following a manufacturer’s recommendations does not always guarantee a complete cure. TA Instruments scientists tested an epoxy that is supposed to be cured after 30 minutes, but our analysis showed a residual cure even when we cured the sample for 60 minutes.⁴

In addition to heat flow, DSC is critical for detecting glass transition temperatures (Tg). A higher Tg signifies a more complete cure. Interestingly, our second heat showed that the three epoxy samples had the same Tg, meaning they ultimately reached the same network structure when fully cured. Checking heat flow and Tg with DSC validates the completeness of a cure after the first DSC heating cycle, supporting quality control for consistently cured products.

Researchers have also used DSC to explore processing conditions for innovative materials, including cold spray additive manufacturing of metal-polymer composites.⁵ They used DSC to determine the optimal cold spray temperature for final product quality. Another team of researchers employed DSC in their work to optimize 3D printing of high-performance polyimide (PI) for final mechanical properties. They confirmed that processing conditions did not cause thermal degradation or reach phase-changing temperatures that could have deteriorated mechanical performance.⁶

Thermomechanical Analysis (TMA) measures dimensional changes as a function of time, temperature, and force in controlled atmosphere. Key advanced materials measurements include the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and Tg, which support optimization of material processing and compatibility.

Researchers developing a novel composite with radiation shielding for electronics in aerospace used a TA Instruments TMA to determine the CTE and Tg following ISO-11359-2 standard.⁷ Once the Tg temperature is exceeded, material properties like CTE and mechanical properties drastically change – making it a critical temperature for quality assurance. CTE mismatches are also important to identify since they commonly cause stress accumulation and delamination issues. These researchers compared the CTE and Tg in composites with varying filler content to identify the most reliable formulation.

Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) measures the mechanical properties of materials as a function of time, temperature, and frequency. For advanced materials QC, DMA is used to measure transition temperatures as well as material modulus and product stiffness, plus other important mechanical properties such as damping, creep, and stress.

For example, researchers developing a 3D-printed thermally stable high-performance polymer used a TA Instruments DMA to evaluate cure and mechanical properties.⁸ They found that increasing the curing temperature led to a very significant increase of the Tg, suggesting a higher degree of crosslinking; these insights are useful for any quality analyst determining ideal curing conditions. They also evaluated mechanical performance with DMA measurements of Young’s modulus and ultimate tensile strength (UTS), validating that their high‑performance polymer was suitable for demanding applications like aerospace or construction.

As demonstrated above, different thermal analysis techniques offer distinct strengths in quality control testing. Many labs benefit from a complete suite of thermal analysis techniques, providing in-depth quality control of advanced materials.

One such example is the National Polytechnic School in Quito, Ecuador, where researchers developed guidelines for manufacturing an amine-epoxy system that can be tailored for different service temperatures depending on post-curing treatment.⁹ Their analysis included:

• DSC to evaluate curing state, identify exothermic peaks, and determine the Tg region
• DMA to evaluate how post-cured samples differed in their viscoelastic response as a function of temperature
• TMA to obtain the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE)
• TGA to measure the mass loss of samples as a function of temperature

Thermal analysis was foundational for their work as well as all previously cited examples, demonstrating that these techniques are not optional for advanced materials quality control. From determining optimal curing conditions to identifying an ideal formulation, thermal analysis reveals inconsistencies and weaknesses that mechanical testing alone cannot. In demanding applications like aerospace, automotive, and construction, where failure can be catastrophic, quality assurance depends upon reliable, complete thermal analysis characterization.

1. Research and Markets. Advanced Materials Market to Double in Size by 2035 as Demand Surges. Yahoo Finance 2025. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/advanced-materials-market-double-size-090700389.html (accessed 2026-04-17).
2. Melepalliyalil, G.; Nair, A. S.; Gopalakrishnapanicker, U.; Pillai, R. S. Hybrid Cyclic Carbonate as a Thermally Reversible Hot Melt Adhesive‐ Synthesis and Characterization. ChemistrySelect 2025, 10 (42). https://doi.org/10.1002/slct.202503798.
3. Browne, J. Thermal Analysis of Polyether Ether Ketone (PEEK). TA Instruments 2026. https://www.tainstruments.com/applications-notes/thermal-analysis-of-polyether-ether-ketone-peek-ta496/ (accessed 2026-04-17).
4. Thermoset Analysis Using the Discovery X3 DSC. TA Instruments 2023. https://www.tainstruments.com/applications-notes/thermoset-analysis-using-the-discovery-x3-dsc (accessed 2026-04-17).
5. Schwenger, M. S.; Kaminskyj, M. S.; Haas, F. M.; Stanzione, J. F. Mixed-Material Feedstocks for Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing of Metal–Polymer Composites. Journal of Thermal Spray Technology 2024, 33 (2-3), 619–628. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11666-024-01752-0.
6. Petousis, M.; Mountakis, N.; Zavos, A.; Ntintakis, I.; Moutsopoulou, A.; Spyridaki, M.; Nasikas, N. K.; Maravelakis, E.; Vidakis, N. Optimization of the Mechanical Response in MEX Additive Manufacturing of Thermoplastic Polyimide (PI): The Impact of Key Process Control Settings. ACS Omega 2025, 10 (45), 54764–54780. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.5c08277.
7. Ortiz Sánchez, C.; Medina Del Barrio, J. J.; Fernández Romero, G.; Martínez, Á. Y.; Losada, P. R.; Arriaga Arellano, L. A. Characterization of Novel Composite Materials with Radiation Shielding Properties for Electronic Encapsulation. Materials 2025, 18 (24), 5564. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18245564.
8. Binyamin, I.; Grossman, E.; Matanel Gorodnitsky; Kam, D.; Shlomo Magdassi. 3D Printing Thermally Stable High‐Performance Polymers Based on a Dual Curing Mechanism. Advanced Functional Materials 2023, 33 (24). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202214368.
9. Tamayo-Aguilar, A.; Guerrero, V. H.; Pontón, P. I.; Guamán, M. V. Data on Mechanical and Thermal Properties of an Amine-Epoxy System at Various Post-Curing Temperatures. Data in Brief 2025, 63, 112109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2025.112109.