A new “device for the detection of phase transformations” within the AntibacHip project

The scientific research project “Development of an Innovative Antibacterial Material for a Hip Endoprosthesis,” led by the Catholic University of Croatia and headed by Prof. Tamara Holjevac Grgurić, PhD, is funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan under the Targeted Scientific Research call.

The project focuses on the development of an innovative material for hip endoprostheses with improved mechanical properties and enhanced biofunctionality. As part of the project, capital equipment and computer software will be procured in a total amount of €511,350.00.

The phase transformation detection device (DSC5+/STA-EGA), which has been procured and installed on the premises of the Catholic University of Croatia, enables the determination of the thermal properties of all types of materials, such as polymers, metals, ceramics, and composites. It allows for the determination of glass transition temperatures, enthalpies of crystallization, melting, and solid-state transformations, as well as the kinetics and mechanisms of material degradation, the identification and quantification of degradation products, and the monitoring of all changes occurring in a material during heating up to a temperature of 1650 °C.

In the low-temperature range, from −150 °C to 700 °C, the DSC 5+ device represents a new generation of thermal analyzers and enables two measurement modes: power compensation operation, which provides significantly improved resolution, and heat-flow mode for applications requiring very high sensitivity. This latest DSC analyzer offers exceptional analytical capabilities for material testing and is the first device of its kind installed in the Republic of Croatia.