Thermal diffusivity of polymer films by the flash radiometry method

We have developed a flash radiometry technique for the determination of the thermal diffusivity of polymer films that consists of flashing a laser pulse on the front surface of the sample and monitoring the thermal radiation from the rear surface as a function of time using an infrared detector. This method is applicable to polymer films of thickness 14–250 μm in the wide temperature range between 150 and 500 K. We have performed measurements on four polymers, including polycarbonate, polyimide, polyvinylidene fluoride, and polyethylene terephthalate. The temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of polycarbonate can be understood by considering the phonon mean free path, and the crystallinity and orientation dependence of the thermal conductivity of polyethylene terephthalate can be explained in terms of the two‐phase model proposed by Choy and Young.