Yong Zhu

Associate Department Head for Research and Faculty Advancement

In addition to his duties as Associate Department Head for Research and Faculty Advancement, Dr. Yong Zhu also serves as Andrew A. Adams Distinguished Professor. 

Dr. Zhu’s long-term goal is to advance nanoscience and nanotechnology by improving the understanding of nanoscale material behavior and exploring the applications of nanomaterials.

At the graduate level, Dr. Zhu teaches Micro/Nano electromechanical Systems (MAE 536) for students interested in the fundamentals and the applications of micro/nano sensors and actuators. His lecture style course includes guest lecturers from industry and academia, and concludes with final projects of teams of 2 to 3 students in which the teams, based on the class material, propose and design micro/nano transducers for their intended applications, and study related scientific issues. Dr. Zhu also teaches Advanced Solid Mechanics (MAE 541), which teaches elasticity theory leading to solution of practical engineering problems concerned with stress and deformation analysis.

Dr. Zhu’s graduate students are self-motivated; they like both experimental and theoretical work, and tend to enjoy intellectually challenging, multi-disciplinary problems. The research they conduct in Dr. Zhu’s lab advances a major engineering frontier that may eventually lead to important new discoveries in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

At the undergraduate level, Dr. Zhu teaches Solid Mechanics (MAE 214) and Strength of Mechanical Components (MAE 316). Both of these classes are taught following standard practices but he also includes in his lectures examples taken from his work on nano/micro devices.

See also Dr. Zhu’s ResearcherID site and his Google Scholar link below.

Outside of work, Dr. Zhu enjoys travel and sports like basketball, swimming, and ping-pong.

Publications

In situ characterization of thermomechanically loaded solution strengthened, nanocrystalline nickel alloys
Koenig, T. R., Wang, H., Zhu, Y., Gupta, A., Tucker, G. J., & Thompson, G. B. (2024), ACTA MATERIALIA, 263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2023.119462
Surface Embedded Metal Nanowire-Liquid Metal-Elastomer Hybrid Composites for Stretchable Electronics
Shukla, D., Wang, H., Awartani, O., Dickey, M. D., & Zhu, Y. (2024), ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES, 16(11), 14183–14197. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c00318
Sustainable Soft Electronics Combining Recyclable Metal Nanowire Circuits and Biodegradable Gel Film Substrates
Liu, Y., Ahmad, M., Venditti, R. A., Velev, O. D., & Zhu, Y. (2024, January 15), ADVANCED ELECTRONIC MATERIALS, Vol. 1. https://doi.org/10.1002/aelm.202300792
A scalable microstructure photonic coating fabricated by roll-to-roll “defects” for daytime sub-ambient passive radiative cooling
Liu, S., Sui, C., Harbinson, M., Pudlo, M., Perera, H., Zhang, Z., … Ryu, J. E. (2023), Nano Letters, 23(17), 7767–7774. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c00111
Abaxial leaf surface-mounted multimodal wearable sensor for continuous plant physiology monitoring
Lee, G., Hossain, O., Jamalzadegan, S., Liu, Y., Wang, H., Saville, A. C., … Wei, Q. (2023), SCIENCE ADVANCES, 9(15). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ade2232
All Electrohydrodynamic Printed Flexible Organic Thin Film Transistors
Ren, P., Song, R., Zhu, Y., O'Connor, B., & Dong, J. (2023, June 21), ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES, Vol. 6. https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202300410
Caterpillar-inspired soft crawling robot with distributed programmable thermal actuation
Wu, S., Hong, Y., Zhao, Y., Yin, J., & Zhu, Y. (2023), SCIENCE ADVANCES, 9(12). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adf8014
Ferroelectric Domain Wall Engineering Enables Thermal Modulation in PMN-PT Single Crystals
Negi, A., Kim, H. P., Hua, Z., Timofeeva, A., Zhang, X., Zhu, Y., … Liu, J. (2023, April 27), ADVANCED MATERIALS, Vol. 4. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202211286
High-dielectric porous CaCu3Ti4O12/reduced graphene oxide/ polydimethylsiloxane foam for wearable, breathable and low crosstalk capacitive pressure sensor
Yang, Q., Li, C., Zhou, W., Li, Y., Zhu, Y., & Ma, Y. (2023), FLATCHEM, 40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flatc.2023.100522
Interfacial shear stress transfer between elastoplastic fiber and elastic matrix
Shao, L.-H., Qu, X., Wang, T., Cui, Z., Liu, Y., & Zhu, Y. (2023), JOURNAL OF THE MECHANICS AND PHYSICS OF SOLIDS, 173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmps.2023.105218

View all publications via NC State Libraries

Grants

  • Multifunctional Leaf Wearable Sensor for Continous Plant Physiology Monitoring
  • FMRG: Future Eco Manufacturing of Soft Electronics
  • SCH: A Personalized Wearable Rehabilitation Sensing System for Stroke Survivors
  • PFI-TT: Wearable Strain Sensors for Real-Time Joint Angle Tracking in Sports
  • Collaborative Research: Investigating the Strain-Rate and Time-Dependent Plasticity and Mechanical Properties of Metal Nanowires
  • Plant-Aid: A Data Driven and Sensor Integrated Platform to Monitor Emerging Plant Diseases
  • (20-21572) Development of an In-Situ Testing Laboratory for Research and Education of Very High Temperature Reactor Materials
  • Collaborative Research: Brittle-to-Ductile Transition and Strength of Silicon Nanowires at Elevated Temperatures
  • A Wearable Sensing System for Continuous Assessment of Outcomes of Orthotic Hand Users in Real-World Settings
  • SNM: Printing and Integration of Metal Nanowires and Organic Semiconductors for Large-Area Stretchable Electronics and Sensors
Yong Zhu