Research Interests

Synthesis of long carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and CNT arrays, CNT fibers, CNT composites, nano energy materials, solar cells, deformation physics of nano metals and alloys, design and development of nano metals and alloys with high strength and high ductility.

Background and Research

Yuntian Zhu was the team leader of the Nanomaterials Team in MPA-STC, Los Alamos National Laboratory before he joined the NCSU faculty in 2007.

Zhu’s research in recent years has focused on two major nano-related areas: metals and alloys with nano/ultrafine-grain structures, and synthesis and applications of carbon nanotube. His group experimentally verified partial dislocation emission from a grain boundary and three twinning mechanisms in nanocrystalline Al and Cu. He and his colleagues also experimentally observed, for the first time, five-fold deformation twins and discovered a new twinning mechanism in nanocrystalline fcc metals that does not generate macroscopic strain. In addition, his group recently developed three strategies to simultaneously increase the strength and ductility of naostrutured/ultrafine-grained metals and alloys, which is a significant breakthrough because previous attempts to improve ductility always sacrifice the strength. In the area of carbon nanotubes, his group has recently synthesized 4-cm long carbon nanotubes and fabricated super strong and stiff carbon nanotube fibers with specific strength many times higher than current engineering fibers. These achievements have won his team two Nano50 Awards and one Micro/Nano25 Award. Zhu’s future research directions include nanometals and alloys, carbon nanotubes synthesis and applications as well as nanomaterials for energy applications.