Abstract: Specific heat capacity is a crucial parameter in the research and development of new polymer materials,and different types of polymers have different specific heat capacities. Differential Scanning Calorimetry （DSC） was used to study the factors influencing the test results of the specific heat capacity of polylactic acid （PLA）. Factors such as sample weight,instrument heating rate,and thermal history were investigated for their effects on specific heat capacity to obtain the conditions for accurate testing of PLA’s specific heat capacity. To achieve accurate and reliable results,several suggestions are put forward to improve the accuracy of specific heat capacity testing.

Key words: polylactic acid, specific heat capacity, differential scanning calorimetry