Micro- and Nanoscale Calorimetry for Biomedical Applications

This chapter discusses the various parameters related to thermal analyses, phase change, enthalpy, and specific heat capacity, particularly in the cryogenic (40 °C) regimes where water, protein, and lipid phase changes occur. It focuses on differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at the microscale. The chapter introduces nanocalorimetry for applications at the cellular, sub-cellular, and molecular level. Nanocalorimetry is developed generally on a silicon-based membrane with the ability to work with small sample weight (as low as 10 ng), and large heating rates (~105 °C/min). Currently, they are being developed for four major application areas: high-throughput calorimetry for the drug industry; protein conformational studies; label free biochemical sensing; and monitoring of cells. Another major application of nanocalorimetry is to study phase transitions such as glass transition and crystallization in polymers, which has important biomedical applications in the future.