Photoacoustic measurements of the thermal conductivity of some bulk polymer samples

Thermal parameters such as thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of the polymers nylon 66, cellulose acetate, polyacetal, Teflon, and polystyrene have been determined using the photoacoustic technique. Samples having thickness of the order of 25–50 μm have been specially prepared from bulk solid samples for measurements. The experimental method involves the determination of the characteristic frequency fc by measuring the variation of the amplitude and phase of the photoacoustic signal as a function of the chopping frequency for a monochromatic incident beam. Front surface illumination geometry has been used in the measurements. The measured thermal properties agree with the existing values in literature.