Bubble-wrapped sponge creates steam using sunlight
Monday, August 22, 2016 - 19:01
in Physics & Chemistry
How do you boil water? Eschewing the traditional kettle and flame, engineers have invented a bubble-wrapped, sponge-like device that soaks up natural sunlight and heats water to boiling temperatures, generating steam through its pores. The design, which the researchers call a 'solar vapor generator,' requires no expensive mirrors or lenses to concentrate the sunlight, but instead relies on a combination of relatively low-tech materials to capture ambient sunlight and concentrate it as heat.