Methods for kinetic analysis of thermally stimulated processes

Several methods are known for the evaluation of the main kinetic parameters related to a thermoluminescence (TL) curve, namely the activation energy, the pre-exponential factor and the kinetic order. These methods can easily be applied under certain conditions to a series of related thermally stimulated phenomena which are governed by similar differential equations. These include thermally stimulated conductivity (TSC), thermally stimulated electron emission (TSEE), ionic thermocurrent (ITC), derivative thermogravimetry (DTG), differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermal desorption and other phenomena. The similarities and differences between these phenomena are considered and the applicability of the various methods to the different cases is discussed.