Associate Prof. Dr. Zhongqiang YANG
E-mail: zyang@tsinghua.edu.cn
Education:
2003 - 2007 Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry
University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Supervisor: Prof. Wilhelm T. S. Huck
2000 - 2003 M.S. in Polymer Chemistry
Jilin University, Changchun, China
Supervisor: Prof. Fengqi Liu
1996 - 2000 B.E. in Applied Chemistry
Heilongjiang University, Harbin, China
Research Experience:
2016 - present Associate Professor
Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University
2011 - 2016 Associate Researcher
Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University
2010 - 2011 Temporary Employment of Researcher
National Center for Nanoscience and Technology
2007 - 2010 Postdoc Research Associate
Prof. Nicholas L. Abbott’s Lab
Chemical & Biological Engineering Department
University of Wisconsin-Madison, US
Research Interests:
The fabrication of liquid crystal materials and its applications in the fields of actuators, artificial muscles and soft robots.
Group webpage: https://www.x-mol.com/groups/zyang
Orcid ID: 0000-0002-9399-4424
Awards:
In 2003, 4 Chinese students were awarded Gates Cambridge Scholarship.
Selected Publications:
1. J. Ma, Z. Yang*
Smart Liquid Crystal Elastomer Fibers.
Matter 2025, 8, 101950.
2. W. Liao, Z. Chen, J. Ma, Z. Yang*
Liquid Crystal Elastomer Soft Pneumatic Actuators.
Chin. J. Liq. Cryst. Displays 2025, 40, 13-25.
3. J. Ma, Z. Yang*
Chiral Liquid Crystal Elastomers Advance Light Modulation.
Light Sci. Appl. 2024, 13, 205.
4. X. Zhang,† W. Liao,† C. Zhu, Z. Yang*
In Situ Programmable Electrothermal Actuation of Liquid Crystal Elastomer Fibers Assisted by Microfluidics.
ACS Appl. Poly. Mater. 2024, 6, 11050-11056.
5. J. Ma, Y. Wang, J. Sun, Z. Yang*
Liquid Crystal Elastomer Hollow Fibers as Artificial Muscles with Large and Rapid Actuation Enabled by Thermal-Pneumatic Enhanced Effect.
Adv. Funct. Mater. 2024, 34, 2402403.
6. X. Zhang, Y. Wang, W. Liao, Z. Yang* Thermal Responsive Liquid Crystal Elastomer Foam-based Compressible and Omnidirectional Gripper. Chem. Asian J. 2023, 18, e202300340.
7. J. Sun, W. Liao, Z. Yang* Additive Manufacturing of Liquid Crystal Elastomer Actuators based on Spinning and Knitting Technology. Adv. Mater. 2023, 35, 2302706.
8. W. Liao, Z. Yang* 3D Printing Programmable Liquid Crystal Elastomer Soft Pneumatic Actuators. Mater. Horiz. 2023, 10, 576.
9. Y. Wang, J. Sun, W. Liao, Z. Yang* Liquid Crystal Elastomer Twist Fibers towards Rotating Microengines. Adv. Mater. 2022, 34, 2107840.
10. W. Liao, Z. Yang* The Integration of Sensing and Actuating based on a Simple Design Fiber Actuator towards Intelligent Soft Robots. Adv. Mater. Technol. 2022, 7, 2101260.
11. Y. Wang,† W. Liao,† J. Sun, R. Nandi, Z. Yang* Bioinspired Construction of Artificial Cardiac Muscles Based on Liquid Crystal Elastomer Fibers. Adv. Mater. Technol. 2022, 7, 2100934.
12. J. Sun, Y. Wang, W. Liao, Z. Yang* UltraFast, High-Contractile Electrothermal-Driven Liquid Crystal Elastomer Fibers towards Artificial Muscles. Small 2021, 17, 2103700.
