The central aim of the Ardo Group research program is to understand and control spatiotemporal mechanisms and dynamics of non-equilibrium processes relevant to desalination, atmospheric water harvesting, solar fuels devices, photovoltaics, electrolyzers, fuel cells, and electric heat pumps.
Guided by results from numerical simulations and processes that occur in Nature, members of the Ardo Group design and fabricate kinetically asymmetric systems using chemical synthesis and molecular-level engineering of molecule–material structures. Specific tailoring of the mechanisms imparted by these asymmetries allows us to control photo-induced charge separation in solar energy conversion schemes, current rectification using electrochemical ratchets and ionic diodes made from ice or ion-exchange membranes, selective and rapid catalysis of PCET reactions and water dissociation, and local temperature using photonic and heat transfer processes. Results from each study increase fundamental knowledge of the transport and transfer phenomena (ion, electron, photon, energy, heat) that dictate the function and effectiveness of sustainable clean water and renewable energy technologies.
The Ardo Group is well-suited for students and postdoctoral scholars with various backgrounds and expertise, spanning the disciplines of chemistry, applied physics, chemical engineering, materials science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and biophysics. Click on the following links to watch a short video from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation that explains the Ardo Group's solar desalination concept and Shane's Distinctive Voices Lecture (53 minutes) from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine titled "Development of a plastic water bottle for sunlight-driven desalination."
We are grateful to our sponsors for their generous support of our research
7/1/2020: The Ardo Group's collaborative publication with Muhammed Musthafa. O. T.'s Group at IISER Pune titled "An Electrochemical Neutralization Cell for Spontaneous Water Desalination" is accepted for publication in Joule. Congratulations, Zahid (IISER) and the rest of the team!
4/22/2020: The Ardo Group and the Paddison Group receive collaborative funding from the U.S. Department of Defense's Army Research Office through the Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory to pursue research toward "Elucidating Design Criteria for Enhancing Rates of Water Dissociation at Bipolar Membrane Interfaces Using Multiscale Modeling and Experiments." Go Team!
4/13/2020: The second Ardo "Group + Alumni" e-Lunch Gathering was a success. Hang in there, Team!
3/30/2020: The first Ardo Group e-Group Meeting was a success. Hang in there, Team Brady Bunch!
3/24/2020: The first Ardo "Group + Alumni" e-Lunch Gathering was a success. Hang in there, Team!
3/20/2020: Joseph's publication titled "Reconciliation of differences in apparent diffusion coefficients measured for self-exchange electron transfer between molecules anchored to mesoporous titanium dioxide thin films" is accepted for publication in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. Congratulations, Joseph, Greg, and the rest of the team!
3/18/2020: Kevin's publication titled "Numerical Monte Carlo Simulations to Evaluate the Influence That Spherical Nanoparticle Size and Arrangement Have on Interparticle Charge Transport across the Surface of Dye- and Cocatalyst-Modified Materials" is accepted for publication in ACS Applied Energy Materials. Congratulations, Kevin!
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