Self-normalized front photopyroelectric technique for thermal effusivity measurements in liquids

•Common photopyroelectric technique needs normalization with a reference sample.•Handicap: two measurements are necessary in both investigated sample and reference.•Solution: modulation frequency scan in only the investigated sample.•Sensor itself becomes the reference at high frequency.•Thermal effusivity can be recovered at low frequencies.

In this paper a measurement methodology is proposed to avoid some limitations of conventional front photopyroelectric technique for thermal effusivity measurements, related to the necessity of calibration using a reference sample. The same pyroelectric sensor heated at high frequencies acts as a reference sample. The proposed method is tested with measurements of thermal effusivity in liquid samples.