Personal Profile
Jin Zhang, born in 1969, is an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a Boya Distinguished Professor at Peking University, a recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, a Changjiang Scholar Distinguished Professor appointed by the Ministry of Education, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), and the principal investigator of a National Key R&D Program of China.
Professor Zhang has long been engaged in research on the physical chemistry of nanocarbon materials. His work focuses on elucidating the growth mechanisms of carbon nanotubes and other nanocarbon structures, developing spectroscopic characterization methods for nanomaterials, and overcoming the challenges of controlled synthesis and efficient growth of carbon nanotubes through catalyst design, thereby advancing fundamental research on nanocarbon materials in China. He pioneered the preparation of graphene/aramid-III composite fibers and proposed a strategy for fabricating structurally and functionally integrated carbon nanotube fibers, providing new insights for high-performance graphene-based fibers. Furthermore, he developed scalable production techniques for graphene composite fibers, laying the foundation for their industrial applications. He has published over 400 papers in prestigious journals such as Nature and Nature Materials and holds more than 50 authorized patents.
Education
Ph.D., Analytical Chemistry, Lanzhou University (1995-1997)
M.S., Radiochemistry, Lanzhou University (1992-1995)
B.S., Radiochemistry, Lanzhou University (1988-1992)
Professional Experience
2025–present Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Peking University Committee; Executive Vice President, Peking University
2022–2025 Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Peking University Committee; Vice President, Peking University
2021–present Chancellor and Deputy Party Secretary (concurrently), Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School
2020–2022 Dean, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University
2018–2023 Vice Director (concurrently), National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2016–2024 Vice Director (concurrently), Beijing Graphene Institute
2015–2019 Vice Dean, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University
2006–present Professor, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University
2003–2018 Vice Director, Key Laboratory for the Physics and Chemistry of Nanodevices, Ministry of Education
2000–2006 Associate Professor, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University
1998–2000 Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Leeds
Research Interests
1. Carbon Nanomaterials
2. Carbonene Fibers
3. Artificial Intelligence for Materials Science and Engineering
Honors & Awards
National Teaching Achievement Award (Special Prize) (2023)
Beijing Outstanding Graduate Student Supervisory Team (2023)
National Natural Science Award (Second grade) (2017)
Innovation Leading Talent of the National Ten Thousand Talents Program (2017)
Peking University Top Ten Mentors Award (2017)
Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2015)
Changjiang Scholar (2013)
National Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Supervisor (2011)
National Natural Science Award (Second grade) (2008)
Distinguished Young Scholar Awardee, National Natural Science Foundation of China (2007)
National Science Foundation of China for Distinguished Young Scholars (2007)
New Century Excellent Talent Funding Program of the Ministry of Education (2005)
Young Chemistry Award of the Chinese Chemical Society (2001)
Publications
[1] Li, Y.; Wang, S. R.; Wang, J. P.; Qian, L.*; Zhang, J.*,Artificial Intelligence for Materials Science: Transforming Research Paradigms. Chemical Reviews, 2026, doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.6c00012
[2] Li, Y.†; Wang, S. R.†; Lv, Z.; Wang, Z. J.; Zhao, Y. B.; Xie, Y.; Xu, Y.; Qian, L.*;Yang, Y. D.*; Zhao, Z. Q.*; Zhang, J.*,Transforming the synthesis of carbon nanotubes with machine learning models and automation. Matter, 2025, 8, 101913.
[3] Xie, Y.†; Li, Y.†; Peng, Z. S.†; Wang, C. Y.; Qiu, Z. L.; Cai, X. Y.; Song, T. L.; Si, J.; Zhao, X. X.; Qian, L.*; Zhao, Z. Q.*; Zhang, J.*,Nano-seeding catalysts for high-density arrays of horizontally aligned carbon nanotubes with wafer-scale uniformity. Nature Communications, 2025, 16, 149.
[4] Luo, J. J.†; Lei, X. D.†; Jia, X. Z.†; Li, M. D.†; Yan, D.; Li, J.; Zhang, Z. Y.; Dai, H. B.; Li, C.; Zhou, W. L.; Hu, Z. C.; Li, X. Y.; Xu, S. C.; Huang, J. K.; Tong, L. M.; Gao, E. L.*; Wu, X. Q.*; Jiao, K.*; Gao, Z. F.*; Zhang, J.*,Aramid fibers with dynamic strength up to 10 GPa and dynamic toughness up to 700 MJ m−3. Matter, 2025, 102496.
[5] Zhang, X. S.†; Lei, X. D.†; Jia, X. Z.†; Sun, T. Z.; Luo, J. J.; Xu, S. C.; Li, L. J.; Yan, D.; Shao, Y. L.; Zhang, Y. Y.*; Wu, X. Q.*; Gao, E. L.*; Jian, M. Q.*; Zhang, J.*, Carbon nanotube fibers with dynamic strength up to 14 GPa. Science, 2024, 384, 1318-1323.
[6] Huang, J. K.†; Guo, Y. Z.†; Lei, X. D.†; Chen, B.†; Hao, H.; Luo, J. J.; Sun, T. Z.; Jian, M. Q.; Gao, E. L.*; Wu, X. Q.*; Ma, W. G.; Shao, Y. L.*; Zhang, J.*, Fabricating Ultrastrong Carbon Nanotube Fibers via a Microwave Welding Interface. ACS Nano ,2024, 18, 22, 14377–14387.
[7] Luo, J. J.; Wen, Y. Y.; Jia, X. Z.; Lei, X. D.; Gao, Z. F.; Jiang, M. Q.; Xiao, Z. H.; Li, L. Y.; Zhang, J. W.; Li, T.; Dong, H. L.; Wu, X. Q.*; Gao, E. L.*; Jiao, K.*; Zhang, J.*, Fabricating strong and tough aramid fibers by small addition of carbon nanotubes. Nature Communications, 2023, 14, 3019.
[8] Zhang SC, Wang X, Yao FR, He MS, Lin DW, Ma H, Sun YY, Zhao QC, Liu KH, Ding F* and Zhang, J.*, Controllable Growth of (n, n-1) Family of Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes, Chem, 2019, 5, 1182-1193.
[9] Gao, X.†; Zhu, Y. H.†; Yi, D.; Zhou, J. Y.; Zhang, S. S.; Yin, C.; Ding, F.; Zhang, S. Q.; Yi, X. H.; Wang, J. Z.; Tong. L. M.*; Han. Y.*; Liu. Z. F.*;Zhang, J.*, Ultrathin Graphdiyne Film on Graphene through Solution-Phase van der Waals Epitaxy. Science Advances, 4(7) (2018), eaat6378.
[10] Zhang, S. C.†; Kang, L. X.†; Wang, X.; Tong, L. M.; Yang, L. W.; Wang, Z. Q.; Qi, K.; Deng, S. B.; Li, Q. W.; Bai, X. D.; Ding, F.;Zhang, J.*, Arrays of Horizontal Carbon Nanotubes of Controlled Chirality Grown Using Designed Catalysts, Nature, 543(2017), 234-238.
