The central theme of the Ardo Group's research program is to understand and control in high spatial and temporal detail the dynamics and mechanisms of processes at interfaces, with the goal of optimizing power conversion for practical applications, including desalination, atmospheric water harvesting, solar fuels devices, photovoltaics, fuel cells, electrolyzers, and redox flow batteries.
Watch a short video from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation explaining 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."
Members of the Ardo Group design and control system asymmetry through numerical modeling, chemical synthesis, and molecular-level engineering of molecule–material structures. By specifically tailoring this asymmetry, we aim to control light-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 energy transport for effective heat transfer. Results from each study provide a better fundamental understanding of the important transport and transfer phenomena (ion, electron, energy, heat) that dictate the function and effectiveness of 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.
We are grateful to our sponsors for their generous support of our research
11/6/2019: Leanna successfully passes her oral exam and is now a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry. Congratulations, Leanna!
10/14/2019: Bill passes his oral thesis examination. Congratulations on your successful thesis defense and thank you for being resourceful, resilient, and worldly, Bill!
10/4/2019: An article based on an interview with Emily titled "Making 'First Choice' Possible" is published online by UCI Irvine News as part of UCI's new Brilliant Future campaign that describes Emily's personal and academic story. Congratulations, Emily!
9/30/2019: The Ardo Group's collaborative publication with the Wang Group at LBNL–ALS titled "Photoacid-Modified Nafion Membrane Morphology Determined by Resonant X-ray Scattering and Spectroscopy" is accepted for publication in ACS Macro Letters. Congratulations, Greg (ALS), Will, Larry, and the rest of the team!
9/25-29/2019: Emily attended the 31st Annual Great Minds in STEM - HENAAC Conference held in Lake Buena Vista, FL through a scholarship from SoCal Edison. Congratulations, Emily!
9/23/2019: The Ardo Group, LBNL, ORNL, NREL, NETL, and 20 universities as part of the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) are awarded the Energy-Water Desalination Hub from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy through the Advanced Manufacturing Office's Energy Innovation Hub Program. Go Team!
9/18/2019: Shane and his Israeli co-organizer, Aharon Blank, finish hosting a very successful and highly appraised session on Single Molecule Spectroscopy at the Israeli–American Kavli Frontiers of Science Symposium in Jeruselum, Israel. Thank you, Christy, Ariel, and Randall, and congratulations, Shane and Aharon!
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