Mechano-X Institute, Applied Mechanics Laboratory,
Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University
Beijing 100084, China
Email: xuan-zhang@tsinghua.edu.cn
EDUCATION
2013/09-2018/07 Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics
Tsinghua University, China
2009/09-2013/07 B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace
Minor in Computer Science
Tsinghua University, China
2016/09-2017/09 Visiting Scholar
California Institute of Technology, USA
2012/01-2012/06 Visiting Student
The University of Hong Kong, China
SCIENTIFIC WORK EXPERIENCE
2024/12 – Present Associate Professor
Tsinghua University, China
2023/08 – 2024/11 Assistant Professor
Peking University, China
2019/06 – 2023/04 Postdoc
Leibniz Institute for New Materials (INM), Germany
2020/12 – 2022/11 Humboldt Postdoc and Research Associate
Leibniz Institute for New Materials (INM), Germany
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Multiscale modelling and theoretical mechanics of microstructures and materials
- Micro-/Nano Additive Manufacturing and Material Development
- Design, Fabrication and Mechanics of 3D Mechanical Metamaterials
- Fundamentals of Contact and Adhesion Mechanics
- Micro Robotic with Bio-inspired Nondestructive Adhesive
2024 Outstanding Young Scientist Award
The Chinese Society of Metamaterial
2023 the Overseas Outstanding Youth Program
National Natural Science Foundation of China
2021 Leibniz Mentoring Program for Female Researchers
Leibniz Association
2020 Humboldt Research Fellowship for Postdoctoral Researchers
Humboldt Foundation
2019 Excellent Doctoral Thesis in Mechanics (5 awardee per year nationally)
The Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
2013 Excellent Graduate Awards
Tsinghua University
SUMMARY OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Publications: 27papers in refereed journals, including Nature Nanotechnology,Science Advances,Nature Communications, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, Nano Letters,Small, Nature Reviews Materials, Nature Communications, etc., as well as important journals in the field of mechanics. The journal papers have been cited 2456 times (H index=18) (Google Scholar, January 2025).
FULL LIST OF PUBLICATIONS
Research Papers (* as the corresponding authors)
27. Yujia Wang, Kunlin Wu, Xuan Zhang, Xiaoyan Li*, Yifan Wang*, Huajian Gao*. Superior fracture resistance and topology-induced intrinsic toughening mechanism in 3D shell-based lattice metamaterials. Science Advances, 2024, 10(35), eadq2664.
26. Haocheng Quan*, Xudong Liang, Xuan Zhang, Marc A. Meyers, Robert M. McMeeking, Eduard Arzt*. The shape of Nature’s stingers revealed. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2024, 121(7), e2316320121.
2023:
25. Qian Zhang, Ranming Niu, Ying Liu, Jiaxi Jiang, Fan Xu, Xuan Zhang, Julie M Cairney, Xianghai An*, Xiaozhou Liao*, Huajian Gao*, Xiaoyan Li*. Room-temperature super-elongation in high-entropy alloy nanopillars. Nature Communications, 2023, 14(1), 7469.
24. Hanzheng Xing, Xiangnan He, Yujia Wang, Xuan Zhang, Lei Li, Yecheng Wang, Zekun Cheng, Hui Wu, Qi Ge*, Xiaoyan Li*. Strong, tough, fatigue-resistant and 3Dprintable hydrogel composites reinforced by aramid nanofibers.Materials Today, 2023.
23. Xuan Zhang*, Xiaoyan Li. Scaling Effect of Dry Adhesion for Microfibrils and Transition Size to Flaw Insensitivity. Journal of Applied Mechanics, 2023, 1-14.
22. Henara L Costa*, Francisco J Profito, Xuan Zhang, Karen Ann Thole. Optimizing the surface of manufactured components for friction, adhesion, and convective heat transfer. MRS Bulletin, 2023, 1-13.
2022:
21. Wenxin Zhang†*, Xuan Zhang†, Bryce W. Edwards, Lei Zhong, Huajian Gao, Michael J. Malaska, Robert Hodyss, Julia R. Greer*. Deformation Characteristics of Solid-state Benzene: a Step towards Understanding Planetary Geology. Nature Communications, 2022, 13, 7949. († These authors equally contributed to this work.)
20. Xuan Zhang*, Yue Wang, Zhihao Tian, Manar Samri, Karsten Moh, Robert M. McMeeking, René Hensel, Eduard Arzt*. A bio-inspired snap-through metastructure for manipulating micro objects. Science Advances, 2022, 8, 46, eadd4768.
19. Gabriela Moreira Lana, Xuan Zhang, Christian Müller, René Hensel, Eduard Arzt*. Film-terminated fibrillar microstructures with improved adhesion on skin-like surfaces. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2022, 14, 41, 46239–46251. (Cover Featured Article)
18. Lena Barnefske, Fabian Rundel, Karsten Moh, René Hensel, Xuan Zhang, Eduard Arzt*. Tuning the release force of microfibrillar adhesives by geometric design. Advanced Materials Interfaces, 2022, 2201232.
17. Yujia Wang, Xuan Zhang, Zihe Li, Huajian Gao*, Xiaoyan Li*. Achieving theoretical limit of strength in shell-based carbon nanolattices. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,2022, 119, e2119536119.
16. Yue Wang, Xuan Zhang, René Hensel, Eduard Arzt*. Sliding mechanism for release of superlight objects from micropatterned adhesives. Advanced Materials Interfaces, 2022, 2101764.
2021:
15. Xuan Zhang, Yue Wang, René Hensel, Eduard Arzt*. A design strategy for mushroom-shaped microfibrils with optimized dry adhesion: experiments and finite element Analyses. Journal of Applied Mechanics, 2021, 88(3), 031015.
14. Qian Zhang, Ruirui Huang, Xuan Zhang, Tangqing Cao, Yunfei Xue, Xiaoyan Li*. Deformation mechanisms and remarkable strain hardening in single crystalline high entropy alloy micro/nanopillars. Nano Letters, 2021, 21(8), 3671-3679.
13. RuiRui Huang, Qian Zhang, Xuan Zhang, JianGuo Li, TangQing Cao, JiaHao Yao, YunFei Xue, HuaJian Gao, XiaoYan Li*. Dynamic recrystallization-induced temperature insensitivity of yield stress in single-crystal Al1.2CrFeCoNi micropillars. Science China Technological Sciences 2021, 64(1) 11-22.
2020:
12. Xuan Zhang, Yujia Wang, Bin Ding, Xiaoyan Li*. Design, fabrication and mechanics of three-dimensional micro-/nanolattices. Small, 2020, 16(15), 1902842. (Back Cover Featured Article)
11. Xiaozhuang Zhou, Xuan Zhang, Huaixia Zhao, Baiju P. Krishnan, Jiaxi Cui*. Self-healable and recyclable tactile force sensors with post-tunable sensitivity. Advanced Functional Materials, 2020, 30(38), 2003533.
10. Xiaoyan Li, Lei Lu, Jianguo Li, Xuan Zhang, Huajian Gao*. Mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of gradient nanostructured metals and alloys. Nature Reviews Materials, 2020, 5(9), 706-723.
2019:
9. Xuan Zhang†, Lei Zhong†, Arturo Mateos†, Akira Kudo, Andrey Vyatskikh, Huajian Gao*, Julia R. Greer*, Xiaoyan Li*. Theoretical strength and rubber-like behaviour in micro-sized pyrolytic carbon. Nature Nanotechnology, 2019, 14, 762-769. († These authors equally contributed to this work.) (Cover Featured Article)
8. Xuan Zhang, Andrey Vyatskikh, Huajian Gao*, Julia R. Greer*, Xiaoyan Li. Lightweight, flaw-tolerant and ultrastrong nanoarchitected carbon. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2019, 116, 6665-6672.
2018:
7. Xuan Zhang, Jiahao Yao, Bin Liu, Jun Yan, Lei Lu, Yi Li, Huajian Gao, Xiaoyan Li*. Three-dimensional high-entropy alloy-polymer composite nanolattices that overcome the strength-recoverability trade-off. Nano Letters, 2018, 7, 4247-4256.
6. Xuan Zhang, Huajian Gao, Xiaoyan Li*. Atomistic simulations of superplasticity and amorphization of nanocrystalline anatase TiO2. Extreme Mechanics Letters, 2018, 22, 131-137.
5. Andrey Vyatskikh, Stéphane Delalande, Akira Kudo, Xuan Zhang, Julia R. Greer*. Additive Manufacturing of 3D Nano-Architected Metals. Nature Communications, 2018, 9(1), 593.
2017:
4. Haolun Wang†, Xuan Zhang†, Ning Wang, Yan Li, Xue Feng, Ya Huang, Chunsong Zhao, Zhenglian Liu, Minghao Fang, Gang Ou, Huajian Gao*, Xiaoyan Li*, Hui Wu*. Ultralight, scalable, and high-temperature-resilient ceramic nanofiber sponges. Science Advances, 2017, 3(6), e1603170. (†These authors equally contributed to this work.)
3. Xuan Zhang, Xiaoyan Li*, Huajian Gao*. Size and strain rate effects in tensile strength of penta-twinned Ag nanowires. Acta Mechanica Sinica, 2017, 33(4), 792-800.
2015:
2. Siya Huang, ChuanFei Guo, Xuan Zhang, Wei Pan, Xi Luo, Chunsong Zhao, Jianghong Gong, Xiaoyan Li, Zhifeng Ren, Hui Wu*. Buckled Tin Oxide Nanobelt Webs as Highly Stretchable and Transparent Photosensors. Small, 2015, 11(42), 5712-5718.
1. Bin Ding, Xiaoyan Li*, Xuan Zhang, Hui Wu, Zhiping Xu, Huajian Gao*. Brittle versus ductile fracture mechanism transition in amorphous lithiated silicon: From intrinsic nanoscale cavitation to shear banding. Nano Energy, 2015, 18, 89-96.
Books and Book Chapters
1. Xiaoyan Li, Xuan Zhang, Huajian Gao. Atomistic simulations for fracture and fatigue of nanotwinned and amorphous materials. Handbook of Materials Modeling Volume 2 Applications: Current and Emerging Materials (ed. by Wanda Andreoni and Sidney Yip), 2018.
CONFERENCE EXPERIENCES
Presented various invited presentations at scientific meetings; selected talks are listed below:
Xuan Zhang, Mechanical Behaviors of Nanoarchitected Materials fabricated by Direct Laser Writing. Annual Meeting of Beijing Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Beijing, 2024 (Invited Oral).
Xuan Zhang, Ultralight and Ultrastrong Nanoarchitected Materials. 3rd Seminar of Damage, Fracture and Engineering Application, Hefei, 2023 (Invited Oral).
Xuan Zhang, Bistable structures and their application for switchable adhesive, 1st Conference of Smart Materials and Structure Systems, Suzhou, 2023 (Invited Oral).
Xuan Zhang, Bioinspired Designs for Micro-Object Releasing. 152nd TMS Annual Meeting, Nix Award Symposium, 2023 (Invited Oral).
Xuan Zhang, bioinspired strategies to release micro objects. INM-UCSB Workshop in the framework of the MUSIGAND project - “Designed Materials and Microstructures”, 2022 (Invited Oral).
