https://news.mit.edu/2023/surprising-fi ... -heat-1031
The puffs of white condensation on glass is water being evaporated from a hydrogel using green light, without heat. Image: Courtesy of the researchers
...
Because the effect is so new and unexpected, Chen says, “This phenomenon should be very general, and our experiment is really just the beginning.” The experiments needed to demonstrate and quantify the effect are very time-consuming. “There are many variables, from understanding water itself, to extending to other materials, other liquids and even solids,” he says.
“The observations in the manuscript points to a new physical mechanism that foundationally alters our thinking on the kinetics of evaporation,” says Shannon Yee, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech, who was not associated with this work. He adds, “Who would have thought that we are still learning about something as quotidian as water evaporating?”
...https://news.mit.edu/2024/how-light-can ... -heat-0423