We report on the measurement of the thermal diffusivity, D , of few-layers graphene obtained by chemical vapor deposition, using a noncontact optical microscopy method based on a mode mismatched thermal lens technique in a pump-probe two-laser beams configuration. It takes advantage of the coaxial counter propagating tightly focused excitation and collimated probe beams in an improved thermal lens microscopy setup. The obtained results: D = (6.5 ± 0.09) × 10 ⁻⁴ m ² s ⁻¹ , D = (1.9 ± 0.07) × 10 ⁻⁴ m ² s ⁻¹ and D = (1.3 ± 0.05) × 10 ⁻⁴ m ² s ⁻¹ for four (on a glass slide), eight and sixteen graphene (freestanding) layers are reasonable values, as can be concluded from reported literature data.

Inspired by a previously published TPT article,1 this paper describes the concept of thermal effusivity and the role of this parameter in understanding thermal physics concepts, in particular the fact that when we touch objects of equal temperature but of different materials we often feel that one body is “hotter” or “colder.”