Robert Klie

Associate Professor

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of Physics

Research Interests

Condensed Matter Physics, Transmission Electron Microscopy.
My research interests focus on the study of complex materials used in alternative energy production. More specifically, I want to understand how the atomic structure of a material, or imperfections within the crystal lattice, influence the material's overall performance.
To perform this research, I use Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEM) which are located in the Research Resources Center. Currently, we are in the process of acquiring the highest-resolution TEM in the US, which will enable us to look at individual atoms within the larger lattice of many complex materials.
In particular, I am interested in four different kind of alternative energy materials: 1) solar-cells; 2) thermo-electric materials; 3) heterogeneous catalysts; and 4) superconductors. All of these materials are synthesized by my collaborators and need to be prepared for investigation in a state-of-the-art TEM. This preparation involves cutting using diamond saw, mechanical polishing, dimpling and ion-beam thinning.
Once the samples are thin enough to be looked at in a TEM, we will try to correlate the material's performance with its atomic structure, and develop model of how to further improve its efficiency.

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