Measurement of the in-plane thermal conductivity by steady-state infrared thermography

We demonstrate a simple and quick method for the measurement of the in-plane thermal conductance of thin films via steady-state IR thermography. The films are suspended above a hole in an opaque substrate and heated by a homogeneous visible light source. The temperature distribution of the thin films is captured via infrared microscopy and fitted to the analytical expression obtained for the specific hole geometry in order to obtain the in-plane thermal conductivity. For thin films of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate post-treated with ethylene glycol and of polyimide we find conductivities of 1.0 W/mK and 0.4 W/mK at room temperature, respectively. These results are in very good agreement with literature values, validating the method developed.