It has long been thought that the evaporation process, which takes place all around us, is the result of thermal energy. However, recent research has uncovered a surprising phenomenon that challenges this notion.
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have discovered that under certain conditions, light can directly cause evaporation at the interface between water and air, even more efficiently than heat.
This groundbreaking discovery could have major implications for a variety of natural phenomena and industrial processes, including water desalination.
MIT researchers were surprised to find that the water in their experiments evaporated much faster than expected.
The water in the hydrogel material evaporated at a rate that exceeded the theoretical maximum possible based on the amount of heat it received. After conducting a series of experiments and simulations, experts concluded that light can cause evaporation at the water-air interface without the use of heat.
Traditionally, evaporation is attributed solely to thermal energy. However, new research suggests that light may play an important role in this process.
Experts have discovered that under certain conditions light can evaporate more efficiently than heat. Although the experiments were conducted with hydrogel material, the researchers believe that this phenomenon can also occur under other conditions.
The discovery of light-induced evaporation could have far-reaching consequences. It can play a crucial role in the formation and evolution of fog and clouds, which is necessary for inclusion in climate models to improve their accuracy. Furthermore, this phenomenon could revolutionize industrial processes such as solar desalination.
According to Professor Gang Chen, one of the study participants, this discovery could eliminate the need to convert sunlight into heat during the desalination process.
He explains: “If we can use light directly to evaporate water, it will be much more efficient.” This could lead to more sustainable and cost-effective desalination methods.
Dr. Yaodong Tu, a postdoc at MIT and one of the authors of the study, emphasizes the importance of this discovery: “This discovery challenges our current understanding of evaporation and opens up new possibilities for harnessing light energy in a variety of applications.”
Dr. David L. Chandler, a news fellow at MIT, highlights the potential impact on climate models: “Incorporating this light-induced evaporation phenomenon into climate models could significantly improve their accuracy in predicting cloud formation and other atmospheric processes.”
Evaporation is the natural process by which a liquid turns into a gas. It is a crucial part of Earth’s water cycle and plays a crucial role in shaping weather and climate.
Until now, scientists believed that evaporation occurs exclusively due to thermal energy, where molecules under the influence of heat acquire enough energy to evaporate into the air.
