Studies of the Degradation of Building Materials By Isothermal Microcalorimetry

Isothermal microcalorimetry is concerned with the measurement of very low heat production rates (thermal powers) <1 µW) on small samples (10-1000 mg) at isothermal conditions. The technique is well established in several scientific and technical areas, e.g. in the pharmaceutical industry. Microcalorimetry is a general research tool as almost all processes (biological, chemical and physical) produce heat. In this paper is discussed its use to measure degradation phenomena on building materials, e.g. metal corrosion, oxidation of polymers and mould growth on wood.