SOME COMMENTS ON THE HISTORY OF VACUUM MICROBALANCE TECHNIQUES

Based on the reviews of Behrndt, Iwata, Duval, Jenemann and Gast, we present a chronology of vacuum microbalance techniques in table form. The earliest discoveries of weights and balances are dated to about 3000 B.C. In the 19th century, balances were operated in vacuum for meteorological purposes. Thermogravimetry began with Talabot who, in 1833 in Lyon, equipped a laboratory with thermobalances for quality control of Chinese silk. At the beginning of the 20th century, microbalances were placed in high-vacuum apparatus.