Exploiting the aluminum nitride bandgap for water separation and light-enhanced evaporation

Abstract

The aluminum nitride bandgap energy matches the binding energy between salt and water molecules. Here we study the effect of 405-nm light on the rates of evaporation when saline solutions are im-bibed within a porous ceramic aluminum nitride wick. Sensitive measurements are taken in a self-referencing setup and compared with the capillary fluid response. Evaporation rates increase with light illumination when the solution is more saline in a manner that indicates interfacial charge-transfer characteristics. Our results show consistent trends and strong potential for photonic environmental applications in salt-water separation