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, 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
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 has on Interparticle Charge Transport across the Surface of Dye and Cocatalyst Modified Materials" is accepted for publication in ACS Applied Energy Materials. Congratulations, Kevin!
3/2/2020: An article based on an interview with Sunny Jiang titled "Driven for Desalinization" is published online by UCI Irvine News to highlight the Ardo Group and UCI's involvement in the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) Energy-Water Desalination Hub. Go Team!
2/24/2020: Shane hosts David Vermaas who visits UCI for a Special Seminar to talk about ion-exchange membranes and electrochemistry with the Ardo Group and others. Thanks for the great visit and thought-provoking seminar, David!
2/20/2020: Shane and his collaborators present to the California State Legislature in Sacramento on innovations in water research as part of the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) Energy-Water Desalination Hub. Go Team!
1/29/2020: Geoff McClarin and Jen Urbine join Team Ardo. Welcome, Geoff and Jen!
1/27/2020: The Ardo Group's collaborative publication with the Qureshi Group at IIT Guwahati titled "Low Overpotential and Stable Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Reaction Utilizing Doped Perovskite Oxide, La0.7Sr0.3MnO3, Modified by Cobalt Phosphate" is accepted for publication in ACS Applied Energy Materials. Congratulations, Sourav (IIT) and the rest of the team!
1/16/2020: Rohit receives a Young Investigator Grant to defer costs of attending the 2nd Frontiers in Photochemistry Fusion Conference in Nassau, The Bahamas. Congratulations, Rohit!
1/9/2020: The Ardo Group receives funding from the Beall Family Foundation for a Beall Innovation Award to pursue research and development of "A photon-mediated active heat pump to revolutionize ambient thermal energy conversion." Go Team!
1/9/2020: Emily is awarded an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Grant/Fellowship. Congratulations, Emily!
12/9/2019: Ethan Heffernan joins Team Ardo. Welcome, Ethan!
12/4/2019: Bill is now also Dr. Gaieck. Congratulations, Bill!
11/30/2019: Rohit is awarded a talk at the 2nd Frontiers in Photochemistry Fusion Conference in Nassau, The Bahamas. Congratulations, Rohit!
11/12/2019: Shane hosts Bryce Sadtler who visits UCI as part of the UCI Department of Chemistry Physical Seminar Series to talk about photoelectrochemistry and photocatalysis with the Ardo Group and others. Thanks for the great visit and thought-provoking seminar, Bryce!
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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