Yong Zhu
Andrew A. Adams Distinguished Professor, Director of Mechanical Research

- 919-513-7735
- yzhu7@ncsu.edu
- Engineering Building III (EB3) 3238
- Visit My Website
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.
Education
Mechanical Engineering
Northwestern University
Mechanical Engineering
Northwestern University
Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering
University of Science and Technology of China
Research Description
Dr. Zhu is interested in MEMS/NEMS design, fabrication and characterization; mechanics and materials issues in nanostructures and thin films; and flexible and stretchable electronics. Dr. Zhu is currently 1) developing micro/nano electromechanical transducers (NEMS/MEMS), 2) studying mechanical, electrical, and thermal inter-relations at the nanoscale, and 3) developing flexible and stretchable electronics for wearable and robotics applications.
Honors and Awards
- James R. Rice Medal, Society of Engineering Science, 2021
- A. J. Durelli Award, Society of Experimental Mechanics, 2021
- Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany, 2020
- ASME/Pi Tau Sigma Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award, 2019
- ASME Fellow, 2017
- Eshelby Mechanics Award, 2016
- University Faculty Scholar, 2015
- MAE Outstanding Research Award, 2015
- Alcoa Foundation Engineering Research Achievement Award (College of Engineering), 2015
- ASME Sia Nemat-Nasser Early Career Award, 2015
- Best Wearable Material/Component Development Award at IDTechEx Wearable USA, 2015
- Society of Experimental Mechanics Young Investigator Lecture Award, 2013
- Sigma Xi Faculty Research Award, 2012
- Best Poster Award, Gordon Research Conference on Thin Films and Small Scale Mechanical Behavior, 2006
Publications
- Boundary curvature guided programmable shape-morphing kirigami sheets
- Hong, Y., Chi, Y., Wu, S., Li, Y., Zhu, Y., & Yin, J. (2022), NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28187-x
- Direct measurement of rate-dependent mode I and mode II traction-separation laws for cohesive zone modeling of laminated glass
- Poblete, F. R., Mondal, K., Ma, Y., Dickey, M. D., Genzer, J., & Zhu, Y. (2022), COMPOSITE STRUCTURES. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2021.114759
- Evoked Tactile Feedback and Control Scheme on Functional Utility of Prosthetic Hand
- Vargas, L., Huang, H., Zhu, Y., & Hu, X. (2022), IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS. https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2021.3139147
- Integrating charge mobility, stability and stretchability within conjugated polymer films for stretchable multifunctional sensors
- Son, S. Y., Lee, G., Wang, H., Samson, S., Wei, Q., Zhu, Y., & You, W. (2022), NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-30361-0
- Object Recognition via Evoked Sensory Feedback during Control of a Prosthetic Hand
- Vargas, L., Huang, H., Zhu, Y., & Hu, X. (2022), IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS. https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2021.3122897
- Soft electrothermal actuators using silver nanowire heaters (vol 9, pg 3797, 2017)
- Yao, S., Cui, J., Cui, Z., & Zhu, Y. (2022, May 5), NANOSCALE. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2nr90086f
- Ultrasoft Porous 3D Conductive Dry Electrodes for Electrophysiological Sensing and Myoelectric Control
- Yao, S., Zhou, W., Hinson, R., Dong, P., Wu, S., Ives, J., … Zhu, Y. (2022, May 16), ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES. https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202101637
- A Biaxially Stretchable and Self-Sensing Textile Heater Using Silver Nanowire Composite
- Wu, S., Cui, Z., Baker, G. L., Mahendran, S., Xie, Z., & Zhu, Y. (2021), ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c17651
- Achieving High-Resolution Electrohydrodynamic Printing of Nanowires on Elastomeric Substrates through Surface Modification
- Ren, P., Liu, Y., Song, R., O'Connor, B., Dong, J., & Zhu, Y. (2021), ACS APPLIED ELECTRONIC MATERIALS, 3(1), 192–202. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaelm.0c00747
- Closed-loop control of a prosthetic finger via evoked proprioceptive information
- Vargas, L., Huang, H., Zhu, Y., & Hu, X. (2021), JOURNAL OF NEURAL ENGINEERING. https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-2552/ac3c9e
Grants
- SCH: A Personalized Wearable Rehabilitation Sensing System for Stroke Survivors
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)(9/17/21 - 8/31/22)
- A Wearable Sensing System for Continuous Assessment of Outcomes of Orthotic Hand Users in Real-World Settings
- US Dept. of Defense (DOD)(5/01/21 - 4/30/23)
- PFI-TT: Stretchable Strain Sensors for Real-Time Joint Angle Tracking in Sports
- National Science Foundation (NSF)(8/01/21 - 7/31/23)
- FMRG: Future Eco Manufacturing of Soft Electronics
- National Science Foundation (NSF)(1/01/22 - 12/31/25)
- Development of an In-Situ Testing Laboratory for Research and Education of Very High Temperature Reactor Materials
- US Dept. of Energy (DOE)(10/01/20 - 9/30/22)
- Plant-Aid: A Data Driven and Sensor Integrated Platform to Monitor Emerging Plant Diseases
- Game-Changing Research Incentive Program for Plant Sciences (GRIP4PSI)(2/17/20 - 6/30/23)
- Cover-2: Safety-as-a-Service
- National Science Foundation (NSF)(8/01/20 - 9/30/21)
- Collaborative Research: Investigating the Strain-Rate and Time-Dependent Plasticity and Mechanical Properties of Metal Nanowires
- National Science Foundation (NSF)(8/01/19 - 7/31/23)
- Collaborative Research: Strength and Brittle-to-Ductile Transition of Silicon Nanowires at Elevated Temperatures
- National Science Foundation (NSF)(9/01/18 - 8/31/22)
- SNM: Printing and Integration of Metal Nanowires and Organic Semiconductors for Large-Area Stretchable Electronics and Sensors
- National Science Foundation (NSF)(7/01/17 - 6/30/22)