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Aluminum nitride is a white, hydrophilic, high-band-gap ceramic. Here we report on the light-induced evaporation of saltwater through a capillary wick composed of drop-cast microparticles. Saltwater evaporation rates are significantly higher than expected. Our results point to significant potential for this interface-driven approach in solar non-thermal desalination and water separation technologies. 

Aluminum nitride (AlN) is a high-bandgap, high-optical-refractive-index, electrical insulator with epsilon-near-zero behavior in the infrared atmospheric window. To-wards binderless additive manufacturing of porous AlN, we demonstrate a 370% increase in hardness through laser sintering. 

With time-resolved measurements, we investigate the inverse Faraday effect of gold nanodisks in random monolayers. Order-of-magnitude enhancements are observed for 3.9% fill-factor samples (compared to gold film) which increases with proximity to the plasmonic resonance. 

Controlled growth of islands on plasmonic metal nanoparticles represents a novel strategy in creating unique morphologies that are difficult to achieve by conventional colloidal synthesis processes, where the nanoparticle morphologies are typically determined by the preferential development of certain crystal facets. This work exploits an effective surface-engineering strategy for site-selective island growth of Au on anisotropic Au nanostructures. Selective ligand modification is first employed to direct the site-selective deposition of a thin transition layer of a secondary metal, e.g., Pd, which has a considerable lattice mismatch with Au. The selective deposition of Pd on the original seeds produces a high contrast in the surface strain that guides the subsequent site-selective growth of Au islands. This strategy proves effective in not only inducing the island growth of Au on Au nanostructures but also manipulating the location of grown islands. By taking advantage of the iodide-assisted oxidative ripening process and the surface strain profile on Au nanostructures, we further demonstrate the precise control of the islands’ number, coverage, and wetting degree, allowing fine-tuning of nanoparticles’ optical properties.