A pyrolant (from Greek ''pyr'', fire) is an energetic material that generates hot

flames A flame (from Latin '' flamma'') is the visible, gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic chemical reaction taking place in a thin zone. When flames are hot enough to have ionized gaseous components of sufficient density they ...

upon

combustion Combustion, or burning, is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel (the reductant) and an oxidant, usually atmospheric oxygen, that produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Combust ...

. Pyrolants are metal-based

pyrotechnic composition A pyrotechnic composition is a substance or mixture of substances designed to produce an effect by heat, light, sound, gas/smoke or a combination of these, as a result of non-detonative self-sustaining exothermic chemical reactions. Pyrotechnic s ...

s containing virtually any oxidizer. The term was originally coined by Kuwahara in 1992, in a paper on magnesium/Teflon/Viton, to distinguish between compositions that serve as propellants and those yielding hot flames which are not necessarily suitable for propellant purposes. ''

Thermite Thermite () is a pyrotechnic composition of metal powder and metal oxide. When ignited by heat or chemical reaction, thermite undergoes an exothermic reduction-oxidation (redox) reaction. Most varieties are not explosive, but can create br ...

s'' constitute a subdivision of pyrolants referring to mixtures containing a narrow range of oxygen-based oxidizers only, Hence the term thermite cannot be used interchangeably with "pyrolant". A similar common term is ''

propellant A propellant (or propellent) is a mass that is expelled or expanded in such a way as to create a thrust or other motive force in accordance with Newton's third law of motion, and "propel" a vehicle, projectile, or fluid payload. In vehicles, the ...

'', which describes either a homogeneous or composite material that generates thrust upon combustion, but which may contain fuels instead of or in addition to the metals contained in

thermite Thermite () is a pyrotechnic composition of metal powder and metal oxide. When ignited by heat or chemical reaction, thermite undergoes an exothermic reduction-oxidation (redox) reaction. Most varieties are not explosive, but can create br ...

s. Pyrolants are generally characterized by high combustion temperatures (> 2000 K) and high amounts of condensed reaction products at equilibrium conditions such as metal oxides,

fluoride Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts ...

s and

soot Soot ( ) is a mass of impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. It is more properly restricted to the product of the gas-phase combustion process but is commonly extended to include the residual pyrolyse ...

. Typical pyrolants find use as

pyrotechnic initiator In pyrotechnics, a pyrotechnic initiator (also initiator or igniter) is a device containing a pyrotechnic composition used primarily to ignite other, more difficult-to-ignite materials, such as thermites, gas generators, and solid-fuel rockets. Th ...

s ( Zr/ BaCrO₄ or Zr/ KClO₄), illuminating flare ( Mg/ NaNO₃) and

decoy flare A flare or decoy flare is an aerial infrared countermeasure used by a plane or helicopter to counter an infrared homing ("heat-seeking") surface-to-air missile or air-to-air missile. Flares are commonly composed of a pyrotechnic composition ba ...

compositions (Mg/ (C₂F₄)_n)
E.-C. Koch Metal/Fluorocarbon Pyrolants: VI. Combustion Behaviour and Radiation Properties of Magnesium/Poly(Carbon Monofluoride) Pyrolant, Prop''., Explos., Pyrotech. 30'' 2005 209.

References

Military technology Pyrotechnic compositions