Michael Depriester

The photothermoelectric technique (PTE), an alternative photothermal calorimetry

The recently introduced photothermoelectric (PTE) effect is proposed as an alternative for measuring dynamic thermal parameters of solid samples. The front PTE configuration, together with the thermal-wave resonator cavity method as a scanning procedure, was used to measure the value of thermal effusivity. The back PTE configuration, together with the chopping frequency of incident radiation as a scanning parameter, leads to the direct measurement of thermal diffusivity. A theory based on the above two detection configurations was developed and its application to solids, covering a large range of typical values of thermal parameters (aluminum and copper alloys, glass, teflon, polyethylene, LiTaO3), was described in order to demonstrate the suitability of the method. Experimental support for other well-known techniques (photopyroelectric and infrared lock-in thermography) has validated the results obtained with the novel method.

Transport properties in heterogeneous compacted granular media made of carbon nanotubes and potassium bromide

Thermal properties of pellets composed of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), single-walled or multiple-walled, and potassium bromide have been investigated via photothermal radiometry. Pellets containing 2 wt % CNT show a significant enhancement in thermal conductivity (k) by at least four times. However, when the concentration of a CNT is raised to 3 wt % or higher, a sudden drop in k is observed whereas the electrical conductivity keeps increasing and follows the percolation law. The thermal conductivity data have been modeled and interpreted in terms of a morphological transition between a compacted and an unconsolidated granular media.

Improved methods for measuring thermal parameters of liquid samples using photothermal infrared radiometry

High accuracy, non-contact measuring methods for finding thermal properties of liquid samples using photothermal infrared radiometry (PTR) are presented. The use of transparent windows to confine micro volume liquid samples and the implementation of front and/or back signal detection procedures helped the successful implementation of the PTR technique for measuring liquids with high proficiency. We present two configurations, the so-called back?front photothermal infrared radiometry and back photothermal infrared radiometry to find thermal diffusivity and thermal effusivity of liquid samples. Sensitivity studies and error analyses included prove the robustness of each method. As an illustration of the temperature and electric field varying studies, we have included the experimental results on a 5CB (4-cyano-4?-pentylbiphenyl) liquid crystal.

An active thermography approach for thermal and electrical characterization of thermoelectric materials

The enhancement of figure of merit (ZT) of thermoelectrics is becoming extremely important for an efficient conversion of thermal energy into electrical energy. In this respect, reliable measurements of thermal and electrical parameters are of paramount importance in order to characterize thermoelectric materials in terms of their efficiency. In this work, a combined theoretical-experimental active thermography approach is presented. The method consists of selecting the right sequential interdependence between the excitation frequency and the sampling rate of the infrared camera, by computing a temporal Fourier analysis of each pixel of the recorded IR image. The method is validated by using a reference sample which is then applied to a recent synthesized titanium trisulphide thermoelectric material (TiS3). By combining AC and steady-state experiments, one can obtain information on both thermal and electrical parameters of TE materials (namely thermal diffusivity, Seebeck coefficient). The thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of TiS3 are also measured using photothermal radiometry technique (PTR) and the resulting values of these parameters are α = 9.7*10−7 m2 s−1 and k = 2.2 W m−1 K, respectively. The results obtained with the two techniques are in good agreement. In the case of TE materials, the main benefit of the proposed method is related to its non-contact nature and the possibility of obtaining the electric potential and temperature at the same probes. The Seebeck coefficient obtained by active IR thermography (S = −554 μV K−1) is consistent with the one obtained using an ULVAC-ZEM3 system (S = −570 μV K−1). For a large number of users of thermographic cameras, which are not equipped with a lock-in thermography module, the present approach provides an affordable and cheaper solution.

New methodology for the thermal characterization of thermoelectric liquids.

A new and accurate method for the thermal characterization of thermoelectric liquids is proposed. The experiment is based on a self-generated voltage due to the Seebeck effect. This voltage is provided by the sample when one of its two faces is thermally excited using a modulated laser. The sample used is tetradodecylammonium nitrate salt/1-octanol mixture, with high Seebeck coefficient. The thermal properties of the used sample (thermal diffusivity, effusivity, and conductivity) are found and compared to those obtained by other photothermal techniques. In addition to this, a study of the electrolyte thermal parameters with the variation of tetradodecylammonium nitrate concentration was also carried out. This new method is promising due to its accuracy and its simplicity.

Photopyroelectric (PPE) calorimetry of composite materials

The front photopyroelectric configuration was applied to measure the thermal effusivity of some composite materials, inserted as backing layers in the detection cell. The technique is based on the scanning procedure of the coupling fluid’s thickness (TWRC method). Two particular composite materials were selected for investigation: (i) a liquid one: water based nanofluids with gold nanoparticles and (ii) a solid one: urea—fumaric acid (1:1) cocrystal. The thermal effusivity was found independent on the size and concentration of gold particles. Concerning the urea—fumaric acid cocrystal, the thermal effusivity value of the compound is different from the pure starting materials, indicating the formation of the compound.

Use of Photothermally Generated Seebeck Voltage for Thermal Characterization of Thermoelectric Materials

A simple and accurate experimental procedure to measure simultaneously the thermal properties (conductivity, diffusivity, and effusivity) of thermoelectric (TE) materials using their Seebeck voltage is proposed. The technique is based on analysis of a periodically oscillating thermoelectric signal generated from a TE material when it is thermally excited using an intensity-modulated laser source. A self-normalization procedure is implemented in the presented method using TE signals generated by changing the laser heating from one side to another of the TE material. Experiments are done on a polyaniline carbon nanohybrid (6.6 wt.% carbon nanotubes), yielding a thermal conductivity of 1.106 ± 0.001 W/m-K. The results are compared with the results from photothermal infrared radiometry experiments.

Thermal parameters of carbon nanotubes and potassium bromide composites

Photothermal radiometry is employed to investigate the thermal parameters (diffusivity, effusivity, conductivity, and heat capacity) of carbon nanotubes [single-walled (SWNT) or multiple-walled (MWNT)] and potassium bromide (KBr) pressed pellets as a function of SWNT or MWNT mass fraction. A significant enhancement of the thermal conductivity for carbon nanotubes (CNTs) contents up to 2 wt. % was observed. Above 3 wt. % CNT, a morphological transition from a compacted to an unconsolidated granular media occurs leading to a sharp decrease of the thermal conductivity (k) caused by the presence of air interfaces. A geometrical model based on interpenetrating continua is applied to describe the unusual evolution of the thermal conductivity. The behavior of k is also discussed in regard to the latest theoretical reports.

Thermoelectrics (TE) used as detectors of radiation: an alternative calorimetry based on the photothermoelectric (PTE) effect

The recently introduced photothermoelectric (PTE) effect is proposed for investigating the dynamic thermal parameters of condensed matter samples. The front detection configuration, together with the thermal-wave resonator cavity (TWRC) method as scanning procedure, was used to measure the value of thermal effusivity. The back configuration, together with the TWRC technique and/or the chopping frequency of the incident radiation as scanning parameter, leads to the direct measurement of thermal diffusivity. Recent applications to solid (materials with different values of thermal parameters) and liquid (nanofluids) samples are summarized. The ferro-paraelectric phase transition of triglycine-sulphate (TGS) was also detected. The performances of the PTE method have been compared with those of the photopyroelectric (PPE) technique.