Microscale forced combustion: Pyrolysis-combustion flow calorimetry (PCFC)
Résumé
Pyrolysis-combustion flow calorimetry (PCFC) or microscale combustion calorimetry (MCC) is a powerful tool to evaluate the flammability of materials at microscale. Since its invention in US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at the beginning of the 2000s, it has been mainly used to screen flame retardant materials synthesized/prepared in small quantity (i.e., some milligrams). Nevertheless, several research works have been conducted to propose a more advanced use of this apparatus. The present chapter provides a general view on the PCFC technique, its advantages and limits, and the recent developments in the use of PCFC for the evaluation of flammability. Finally, some suggestions for future developments are presented.