Dennice Roberts is a researcher at NREL focused on synthesis and characterization of materials for renewable energy applications using low-cost and materials-by-design methods. Her work spans multiple research areas and is currently focused on: 1) development of low-cost growth methods for high efficiency III-V tandem solar cells, and 2) design and synthesis of metastable chalcogenide heterostructures for neuromorphic computing.

She is specifically interested in kinetic trapping of novel structures and the the effects of surfaces and interfaces on the properties of energy-related material systems. Her synthesis experience includes nanoparticle growth, vacuum deposition, and hydride vapor phase epitaxy. She has characterization experience encompassing a variety of structural, optical, and electrical methods with particular expertise in X-ray diffraction techniques.

Research Interests

Non-equilibrium and metastable materials

Thin-film synthesis and characterization

Surface and interface science

High-efficiency multijunction photovoltaics and III-V epitaxial growth

Education

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering - Materials, University of Colorado at Boulder

M.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder

B.S., Physics, Florida State University

B.S., Applied Mathematics, Florida State University

Professional Experience

Postdoctoral Researcher, NREL (2019–present)

Visiting Scholar, University of Oregon Department of Chemistry (2018)

Graduate Research Assistant, University of Colorado at Boulder Department of Mechanical Engineering (2015–2019)

Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Colorado at Boulder Department of Mechanical Engineering  (2014–2015)

Associations and Memberships

Member, American Physical Society

Member, Materials Research Society

Member, American Vacuum Society

Featured Work

Effect of Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy Growth Conditions on the Degree of Atomic Ordering in GaInP, Journal of Applied Physics (2020)

Improved Contacts for Tandem Cells with Projected 27% Efficiency Grown by D-HVPE, IEEE PVSC-47 Conference (2020)

Control of CuPt Ordering in GaInP Grown by Dynamic Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy, IEEE PVSC-47 Conference (2020)

Amorphous Sulfide Heterostructure Precursors Prepared by Radio Frequency Sputtering, Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B (2019)

COMBIgor: Data-Analysis Package for Combinatorial Materials Science, ACS Combinatorial Science (2019)

Synthetic Iron Pyrite across Length Scales: Interfacial Defects and Macroscopic Properties, CrystEngComm (2019)

Combinatorial Nitrogen Gradients in Sputtered Thin Films, ACS Combinatorial Science (2018)

Nanocrystalline Iron Monosulfides Near Stoichiometry, Scientific Reports (2018)