A low-cost picowatt calorimeter using a flexible printed circuit board

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Biochemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Calorimetry is essential for detecting minute heat changes in scientific research.
• Conventional microcalorimeters are often expensive and difficult to fabricate.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reduce the cost and fabrication complexity of microcalorimeters.
• To enhance the accessibility of high-resolution thermal analysis.

Main Methods:

• Utilized flexible printed circuit (FPC) manufacturing processes.
• Developed a novel microcalorimeter design.

Main Results:

• Achieved temperature resolution of approximately 6 μK.
• Achieved power resolution of approximately 654 pW in vacuum.
• Validated performance across salt crystallization, protein crystallization, and cellular metabolism measurements.

Conclusions:

• The developed microcalorimeter offers a cost-effective and accessible solution for high-resolution thermal analysis.
• This technology broadens the application of calorimetry in diverse research fields.