Degree(s):

• Ph.D. Brown University, 2015
• M.S. Dalian University of Technology, 2010
• B.S. Dalian University of Technology, 2007

Research Interests:

• Solid Mechanics
• Mechanics and multi-physics of soft materials
• Nano-mechanics
• Bio-inspired design

Current Research:

Zhang group’s current research goal is to explore the fundamental mechanism of the extraordinary mechanical performances (i.e., high toughness, great fatigue resistance, and strong adhesion) of biomaterials, such as cartilage, heart valves, bones, and mussel plague and to propose the novel design principle of the bio-inspired smart materials. To achieve this goal, we employ multiscale and multiphysics modeling and simulations to understand the mechanics of the key components of biomaterials: hard materials for stiffness, soft materials for stretchability and tough interface for robustness. The current research focuses on:

(1) Hard materials: mechanics of graphene and the general two-dimensional materials.
(2) Soft materials: fracture and excessive deformation of soft materials, including hydrogels, elastomers, and cells.
(3) Interface: strong under-water adhesion and the effect of cavitation and materials failure on the interfacial toughness.

Honors:

• 2013 Best Teaching Assistance Award of School of Engineering, Brown University

Selected Publications:

Ye Tao, Yi-Chin Lee, Haolin Liu, Xiaoxiao Zhang, Jianxun Cui, Catherine Mondoa, Mahnoush Babaei, Jasio Santillan, Guanyun Wang, Danli Luo, Di Liu, Humphrey Yang, Youngwook Do, Lingyun Sun, Wen Wang, Teng Zhang, and Lining Yao. Morphing Pasta and Beyond.  Science Advances 7, no. 19 (2021): eabf4098.

Teng Zhang. Understanding and Controlling Hexagonal Patterns of Wrinkles in Neo-Hookean Elastic Bilayer Structures. International Journal of Applied Mechanics (2021): 2150024.

Yi Li, Samuel J. Avis, Junbo Chen, Guangfu Wu, Teng Zhang, Halim Kusumaatmaja, and Xueju Wang. Reconfiguration of multistable 3D ferromagnetic mesostructures guided by energy landscape surveys. Extreme Mechanics Letters (2021): 101428.

Oleh Tovkach, Junbo Chen, Monica M. Ripp, Teng Zhang, Joseph D. Paulsen, and Benny Davidovitch. Mesoscale structure of wrinkle patterns and defect-proliferated liquid crystalline phases. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 8 (2020): 3938-3943.

Xiaoxiao Zhang, Patrick T. Mather, Mark J. Bowick, and Teng Zhang. Non-uniform Curvature and Anisotropic Deformation Control Wrinkling Patterns on Tori. Soft matter (2019).

T. A. Engstrom, Teng Zhang^*, A. K. Lawton, A. L. Joyner, and J. M. Schwarz^*. Buckling without bending: a new paradigm in morphogenesis. Physical Review X8, no. 4 (2018): 041053.