Skip to main content

Mengmeng Zhang

Research Scientist - Nanotech Institute

Dr. Mengmeng Zhang is a Co-PI at the NanoTech Institute. His research focuses on carbon nanomaterials, including CNT/graphene fabrication, artificial muscles, energy harvesters, energy storage devices, and sensors, with publications in Science and the Nature family journals.

 
BE 2.304A
ORCID

Currently accepting graduate students

Tags:
About Mengmeng Zhang

Professional Preparation

Ph.D. - Materials Science
Huazhong University of Science and Technology - 2019
Joint Ph.D. - Materials Science
The University of Texas at Dallas - 2017

Research Areas

Nanoscale Science and Technology
Small Scale, Big Impact! Our research explores the fundamental science and engineering of carbon nanomaterials—including carbon nanotubes, graphene, graphyne, and fullerenes—to develop functional structures and hybrid systems with tailored electronic, optical, and mechanical properties. We focus on nanoscale assembly and integration technologies that enable the fabrication of large-scale, high-performance devices for actuation, energy harvesting and storage, sensing, and multifunctional applications.
We welcome collaborations and inquiries from researchers, students, and industry partners interested in exploring nanoscale materials and devices.
Soft Artificial Muscles
Powerful Mechanical Energy Harvesters
Flexible Self-Powered Sensors
Advanced and Functional Composites
Advanced Energy Storage Devices

Publications

Ray H. Baughman (1943–2025) – A tribute from the Carbon Journal 2025 - Carbon
Mandrel-free fabrication of giant spring-index and stroke muscles for diverse applications 2025 - Science
Large stroke radially-oriented MXene composite fiber tensile artificial muscles 2025 - Science Advances
Improving energy conversion efficiency of ion-driven artificial muscles based on carbon nanotube yarn 2025 - Journal of Power Sources
A planar-sheet nongraphitic zero-bandgap sp 2 carbon phase made by the low-temperature reaction of γ-graphyne 2025 - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Actuation and Mechanical Energy Harvesting Using Coiled or Plied Carbon Nanotube Yarns 2025 - 2025 ECS Meeting
Advancements, Challenges, and Future Trajectories in Advanced Battery Safety Detection 2025 - Electrochemical Energy Reviews
Recent advances in endohedral metallofullerenes 2025 - Fundamental Research

Awards

Top Prize (Special Gold Award) - The 47th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva [2019]

Appointments

Research Scientist
The University of Texas at Dallas, The Alan G. MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute [2022–Present]
PI (at UT Dallas) of project: "Elasto-electro-chemical materials for dexterous self-sufficient soft machines".
Lab Manager
The University of Texas at Dallas, The Alan G. MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute [2023–Present]
Duty: Oversaw laboratory safety protocols, regulatory compliance, and personnel training.
Post-doctoral Researcher
The University of Texas at Dallas, The Alan G. MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute [2019–2022]

Presentations

Invited Talks
  • Department of Mechanical Engineering. University of Wisconsin at Madison, Madison, United States, Oct. 22, 2024. (Inviter: Prof. James Pikul) 
  • Nano-Science & Technology Center, Lintec of America, Dallas, United States, Feb. 14, 2024. (Inviter: Manager Márcio D. Lima)
  • Department of Materials Science & Engineering. University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, United States, Jan. 8, 2024. (Inviter: Prof. Laisuo Su)
Conferences
  • Mini Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) Program Annual Review, Washington DC, United States, May 27-31. 2025.
  • Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology (TAMEST) 2025 Annual Conference, Irving, United States, Feb. 4-6. 2025.
  • Crystal Structure Refinement Workshop, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, United States, Aug. 5-9. 2024
  • Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology (TAMEST) 2024 Annual Conference, Austin, United States, Feb. 5-7. 2024.
  • The 8th International Conference on Nanoscience & Technology, Beijing, China, Aug. 17-19. 2019.
  • The 47th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. Apr. 10-14. 2019.
  • The 2nd International Conference on Advanced Functional Materials & Interfaces, Wuhan, China, Nov. 01-05. 2018.
  • The 7th International Conference on Nanoscience & Technology, Beijing, China, Aug. 29-31. 2017.
  • Material Research Society Fall Meeting & Exhibit, Boston, United States, Nov. 29-Dec. 4. 2015.(Oral presentation) (Topic: Advances in controllable dispersion of commercialized carbon nanotubes for composites fabrication).
  • The 5th International Conference on Nanoscience & Technology, Beijing, China, Sep. 03-05. 2015. 

Additional Information

Authorized Patents
  • Numerical characterization method for dispersion state of carbon nanotube based on fractal dimension. US Patent, US10801955B2. Authorized as of 10/2020.
  • A quantitative characterization method for dispersion states of carbon nanotubes based on fractal dimension. CN Patent, ZL.201610984658.X. Authorized as of 09/2017.
  • A self-powered, electrochemical sensor for wave monitoring. CN Patent, ZL.201910152490.X. Authorized as of 02/2020.
  • A fabrication method for carbon nanotube sheets. CN Patent, ZL.20191023833.2. Authorized as of 12/2020.
  • A self-powered wearable carbon nanotube pressure sensor. CN Patent, ZL.201910284809.4. Authorized as of 03/2019.
  • A fabrication method of reusable carbon nanotube dry adhesives. CN Patent, ZL.202110304886.9. Authorized as of 12/2021.
Pending Patents

News Articles

From Flat to Fat with a Twist
Dr. Mengmeng Zhang (left) and Prof. Ray H. Baughman (right)
ASME Magazine Conducts an Exclusive Interview with Dr. Mengmeng Zhang
This news feature in ASME Mechanical Engineering® Magazine (October 2025) highlights the development of mandrel-free coiled polymer fibers that self-expand or contract with temperature changes. The innovation—developed at the Alan G. MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute, University of Texas at Dallas—enables low-cost, large-stroke artificial muscles for morphing textiles, such as comfort-adjusting jackets and thermal-insulating fabrics. The article discusses how coiling fibers around themselves eliminates the need for chemical mandrel removal, improving efficiency and scalability.
In memory of my great mentor, Professor Ray H. Baughman.
New Fabrication Process Makes Artificial Muscles Spring into Action
Mandrel-free fabrication and optical microscope images of plied and ply-extracted coiled fibers made from fishing lines. Methods for making high-spring-index polymer fiber or yarn muscles have required expensive fabrication by wrapping around a mandrel, which limits their practical applications. We demonstrate an inexpensive mandrel-free method for making polymer muscles that can have a spring index of >50 and a contractile tensile stroke exceeding 97%. This method enables the spring index to be varied along a muscle’s length by varying the plying twist, resulting in muscles that transition between homochiral and heterochiral when either heated or cooled. We demonstrate use of these polymer muscles for robots and environmentally driven comfort-adjusting jackets. This mandrel-free method was used to make high-spring-index carbon nanotube yarns for mechanical energy harvesters, self-powered strain sensors, and solvent-driven and electrochemically driven artificial muscles.
Featured research: Mengmeng Zhang, et al., “Mandrel-free fabrication of giant spring-index and stroke muscles for diverse applications,” Science, 387, 1101-1108 (2025).
Researchers Demo New Type of Carbon Nanotube Yarn that Harvests Mechanical Energy
Researchers Demo New Type of Carbon Nanotube Yarn that Harvests Mechanical Energy Improved methods are needed for harvesting mechanical energy. Coiled carbon nanotube yarns, termed twistrons, use stretch-induced changes in electrochemical capacitance to convert mechanical energy to electricity. Elongation of the yarn produces such large lateral Poisson’s ratios that the yarns are highly stretch-densified, which contributes to harvesting. Here we report plied twistrons, instead of coiled, which increases the energy conversion efficiency of the yarns from 7.6% to 17.4% for stretch and to 22.4% for twist (Watch a movie on YouTube). This is attributed to additional harvesting mechanisms by yarn stretch and lateral deformations. For harvesting between 2 and 120 Hz, our plied twistron has higher gravimetric peak power and average power than previously reported for any non-twistron, material-based mechanical energy harvester. We sew the twistrons into textiles for sensing and harvesting human motion, deploy them in salt water for harvesting ocean wave energy, and use them to charge supercapacitors.
Featured research: Mengmeng Zhang, et al., “Mechanical energy harvesters with tensile efficiency of 17.4% and torsional efficiency of 22.4% based on homochirally plied carbon nanotube yarns,” Nature Energy, 8, 203-213 (2023).

Activities

Guest Editor
Reviewer
Dr. Mengmeng Zhang is a peer reviewer for esteemed journals, including Advanced Energy Materials, Nature Communications, Small, Applied Energy, ChemEngineering, Polymers, ACS Applied Energy Materials, Advanced Theory and Simulations, APL Materials, and Scientific Reports. 
Independent Mentor
Organizer at the NanoTech Institute
Dr. Mengmeng Zhang has organized NanoTech outreach and demonstration events during Weeks of Welcome at the University of Texas at Dallas since 2020.

Affiliations

The Alan G. MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute
2019/09

Funding

Elasto-electro-chemical materials for dexterous self-sufficient soft machines
$2,000,000 - MINI MURI, Office of Naval Research [2022/09–2026/08]
PI at UT Dallas