I am going to design and build a set-up for measuring the thermal conductivity of polymers, nanocomposites, and foams. I am looking for a relatively affordable technique.
Please share with me if you have any experience in this subject.
Dear Ehsan,
I have found an article about it written by Mizuno Sensei from Japan, may can help you.
Best regards
Hi Ehsan,
considering the different number of systems you will need to characterize, and to have a relatively low cost, a steady-state method is probably the most suited for you. Using a guarded hot plate method will only require the thickness of the specimen and a temperature drop reading to estimate the thermal conductivity of your specimen. If you incorporate a flux sensor to obtain relieable heat flux readings, then you can have very reliable measurements.
You can have a look at the following article on how you can set up an apparatus based on the guarded hot plate method: Article Enhancement of the electrical and thermal properties of unid...
Best regards,
Evangelos
Thank you Asep and Evangelos for sharing the papers.
I am also thinking about using IR camera instead of thermocouples for measurement of surface temperatures in these techniques. I attached some relevant papers
Hi Ehsan,
my main concern with IR cameras, is that if you use one for measuring a temperature drop, you will have to have a part of the apparatus not insulated. One of the bigegst concerns in thermal conductivity measurements is to ensure 1D heat flow through the sample. To achieve this, you'll need to avoid lateral heat losses, an insulating foam is usually used. Other than the high cost of an IR camera (you mentioned that you need an affordable method, hence i suggested thermocouples), i see no other drawback.
Regards,
Evangelos
Given the type of materials (poorly conducting) and the probable low size of the samples, a transient method seems to be the most relevant. The hot wire method should be enough, and you can find commercial devices at a cost around 10 000 euros. Otherwise, the hot disk is convenient, with a higher accuracy and a higher measurable range of conductivities, but the device is also 5 - 7 times more expensive.
Alain
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Physical Sciences
- Materials Science
- Materials Chemistry
- Polymer Chemistry