Washington
Post: Researchers report that they obtained vapor by
focusing sunlight on broadly absorbing metal or carbon
nanoparticles dispersed in a liquid. And they did it without
heating the fluid volume. So says a front-page blurb in the
Washington Post that points readers to a news article
about a scientific
paper
in the journal
ACS Nano. The Rice University research, the
Post says, "suggests myriad applications in places
that lack electricity or burnable fuels. A sun-powered boiler
could desalinate sea water, distill alcohol, sterilize medical
equipment and perform other useful tasks." Naomi Halas, an
engineer and physicist speaking for the researchers, reportedly
"said the nanoparticles are not expensive to make and, because
they act essentially as catalysts, are not used up." In
bubbles, the nanoparticles release steam into air, then sink
again; they resume the process when they encounter the focused
light. The work reaffirms that nanoscale devices "behave in
ways different from bigger objects." The Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, with its interest in developing countries, provided
some of the funding.
