The central theme of the Ardo Group's research program is to understand and control reaction mechanisms at interfaces, with the goal of optimizing energy conversion for practical applications, including solar seawater desalination, solar fuels devices, photovoltaics, redox flow batteries, and fuel cells.
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."
Asymmetry is the key characteristic responsible for light-induced charge separation, current rectification, selective catalysis, and energy transport; it is operative in semiconductors, biological membranes, and molecular donor–chromophore–acceptor complexes. Members of the Ardo Group design and control asymmetry through modeling, synthesis, and engineering of molecule–material structures. The electrochemical, photochemical, and photophysical properties of hard and soft material interfaces are manipulated via molecular functionalization and electrostatic engineering. New materials and molecules are being investigated, including multiple-electron-transfer oxidation catalysts, near-infrared-absorbing dyes, photoacidic nanocrystals, chemically modified surfaces, and ion-conducting polymers. The results from each study are pertinent to fundamental electrochemistry and charge-transfer, energy-transfer, and ion-transfer phenomena.
The Ardo Group is well-suited for students and postdoctoral scholars with various backgrounds and expertise, spanning the disciplines of chemistry, materials science, chemical engineering, applied physics, electrical engineering, and biophysics.
2/15/2019: Gabe Phun joins Team Ardo and Team Furche. Welcome, Gabe!
2/15/2019: Kevin's publication titled "Numerical Monte Carlo Simulations of Charge Transport across the Surface of Dye and Cocatalyst Modified Spherical Nanoparticles under Conditions of Pulsed or Continuous Illumination" is accepted for publication in Sustainable Energy & Fuels. Congratulations, Kevin!
2/13/2019: Zejie Chen joins Team Ardo. Welcome, Zejie!
2/6/2019: David's publication titled "Demonstration of photovoltaic action and enhanced stability from a quasi-two-dimensional hybrid organic–inorganic copper–halide material incorporating divalent organic groups" is accepted for publication in ACS Applied Energy Materials. Congratulations, David!
1/29/2019: David's publication titled "Influence of one specific carbon–carbon bond on the quality, stability, and photovoltaic performance of hybrid organic–inorganic bismuth–iodide materials" is accepted for publication in ACS Applied Energy Materials. Congratulations, David!
1/26/2019: The first transient absorption signal that time-resolves regeneration of a photoacid is demonstrated. What a fabulous 2.5-week period as a culmination of several years of very hard and dedicated work by the entire Team! Excellent measurement, Joseph, and thank you for the insightful conversations, Jim Mayer (Yale)!
1/24/2019: The Ardo–Lewis Groups' nanosecond time-resolved radio-frequency (RF) conductivity apparatus gives its first meaningful data! Thank you, Joseph and Simon for your tireless efforts, and thank you for the insightful conversations, Malcolm Forbes (BGSU) and the Lewis Group (Caltech).
1/17/2019: Shane presents his "tenure seminar" in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Irvine. What a nice way to finish off his "tenure tour."
1/10/2019: The Ardo Group's nanosecond time-resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) apparatus is upgraded to include a reference arm to increase its best-in-class signal-to-noise ratio! Thank you, Joseph, Simon, and David for your tireless efforts, and thank you for the insightful conversations, Obadiah Reid (NREL) and Dennis Friedrich (HZB).
1/2/2019: Cassidy Feltenberger joins Team Ardo. Welcome, Cassidy!
1/2/2019: Rylan Kautz joins Team Ardo. Welcome, Rylan!
12/13/2018: Team Ardo makes dye-sensitized solar cells using blackberry dyes with middle-school students from Sierra Preparatory Academy through the LEAPS program at UCI. Thank you, Eric, Joseph, Kevin, Simon, Rohit, Leanna, Ying, and Rylan!
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