Book Description
Liquid to gas phase transition can be induced by the interaction of light with very small, but high absorbing particles. In the micro and nanoscale systems, this transition can be used for water purification, equipment sensitizing, drug delivery, cancer cell destruction, and biological imaging, as well as for lithography of microstructure fabrications. All the previously mentioned applications require some optimization to enhance their efficiency. Much has been done to investigate this process thoroughly, but previous studies were mostly based on theoretical calculations. A limited amount of experimental work has been reported on micro and nanoscale vapor nucleation. This dissertation explores and investigates (liquid ↔ gas) phase transitions in a system where nanoparticle heaters drive the nucleation process using a Continuous Wave illumination.