Homepage of Zhen Zhang

Greetings. I am a Research Scientist in the Department of Physics at Chengdu University of Technology, China. My research centers on investigating the structure and properties of disordered systems, such as liquids, glasses, complex alloys, and granular matter. I develop and utilize advanced computational and numerical techniques to explore the physical origins underlying the fascinating behaviors exhibited by these materials.

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Resume

Dr. Zhen Zhang
Department of Physics
Chengdu University of Technology
Chengdu 610059, China
Email: zhen.zhang@cdut.edu.cn
Homepage; Google Scholar; ORCID; Web of Science; CV

Education

2016-2020   Ph.D in Physics, University of Montpellier, France
       (with Prof. Walter Kob and Dr. Simona Ispas)
       Thesis: Fracture, surface, and structure of silicate glasses
2013-2016   M.E. in Metallurgical Engineering, Chongqing University, China
2009-2013   B.E. in Metallurgical Engineering, Chongqing University, China

Employment

2023-present  Research Scientist, Department of Physics, Chengdu University of Technology, China
2024-2025   Visiting Research Fellow, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology,
       The University of Tokyo, Japan (with Prof. Hajime Tanaka)
2020-2023   Postdoctoral Researcher, State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi’an
       Jiaotong University, China (with Prof. Evan Ma and Prof. Jun Ding)
2020     Visiting Researcher, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
       (with Prof. Yujie Wang)

Research highlights

1) Uncover hidden order in disordered systems

Disordered systems such as liquids and glasses have a rich structure that is usually hidden if characterized with standard structural measures such as the static structure factor. We recently devised a novel four-point correlation method that allows detecting structural order in liquids on length scales well beyond nearest neighbors. We numerically demonstrated that hard-sphere-like systems have an icosahedral orientational order while the prototypical network-forming system silica has an orientational order with tetrahedral symmetry, both of which extending to intermediate and larger distances. Further experimental studies on granular matter and dense colloid liquids demonstrated that this four-point correlation method indeed allows unraveling the hidden intermediate-range order and it connections to particle packing efficiency and dynamical heterogeneity in these systems.

Publications for more details:

2) Deformation and failure of amorphous solids

The deformation and failure of amorphous materials are much less understood when compared with their crystalline counterparts. This is primarily because of the disordered nature of the amorphous structure which makes that even defining structural defects becomes a very challenging task. In our recent work, by combing the conventional MD method with a highly efficient swap MC algorithm, we have successfully produced computer metallic glass models with an effective cooling rate approaching that typically used in experiments. This hybrid simulation scheme thus allowed us to bridge the vast timescale gap that has been a long-standing concern for comparing lab glasses with the computer-simulated ones. Further analysis of the slowly-quenched glass has revealed that shear transformation zones (STZs) are considerably fewer and smaller than previously believed and cannot be attributed to clear-cut local defects that can be predefined in the glass structure.

For silicate glasses, we have recently investigated their mechanical behavior under tensile loading using large-scale MD simulations. It is found that the non-linear elastic properties of the glasses originate from the combined effect of heterogeneous response of the network structure and the stress-relaxing local coordination environment variations of the alkali modifiers. We also found a composition-mediated brittle-to-ductile transition of the nanoscale fracture behavior of the glasses, which can be related to the change of heterogeneities in various atomic-level properties.

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3) Monolayer surface properties of oxide glasses

Surface properties lie at the core of many applications of silicate glasses. In our recent work we have combined large-scale classical MD simulations with (DFT-based) first-principles calculations to investigate the characteristics of silicate glass surfaces on the level of single atomic layer. Our MD simulations revealed the presence of structural defects that are potential reactive sites on the surfaces; their vibrational and electronic signatures were further identified jointly from the classical and ab initio simulations. Moreover, the large-scale simulations allowed us to study the topographical features of the melt-quenched surface and the fracture surface of the glasses. It is revealed that the roughness of the melt-quenched surface is considerably smaller than that of the fracture surface. In contrast to experimental findings, we find that the fracture surface exhibits a logarithmic scaling of the surface height fluctuation, indicating that it is not fractal object on the nanometer scale.

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4) Irradiation response of multi-principal element alloys

High- and medium-entropy alloys (H/MEAs) are an emerging type of materials with great potentials in both structural and nuclear applications. Recent studies have shown that a salient feature that sets these alloys apart from pure metals and dilute solid solutions is their chemical complexities in the form of local chemical order (LCO). Combining atomistic simulations with in situ ion irradiation experiments, we demonstrated for a representative CrCoNi MEA that increased LCO significantly enhances its resistance to irradiation damage by narrowing the mobility ratio of irradiation-induced interstitials and vacancies that can facilitate their recombination. Using ab-initio simulations, we also demonstrate that further manipulation of the dynamics of point defects can be achieved by taking advantage of the atomic size disparity in the equiatomic NiCoCrFe(Pd) alloy. These findings open avenues towards the design of structurally and chemically complex materials with superior radiation tolerance.

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Peer-reviewed publications

  1. Structural origin of hot-compression-enhanced mechanical properties of aluminosilicate glass
    Ziming Yan, Zhen Zhang, Madoka Ono, Juanjuan Zhu, Linfeng Ding, Lianjun Wang
    Scr. Mater. 268, 116878 (2025)
  2. Structural state governs the mechanism of shear-­band propagation in metallic glasses
    Jinhua Yu, Zhen Zhang, Zhendong Sha, Jun Ding, A. Lindsay Greer, Evan Ma
    Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 122, e2427082122 (2025)
  3. Universal power-law scaling in the packing structure of frictional granular materials
    Jiajun Tang, Xiaohui Wen, Zhen Zhang, and Yujie Wang
    Phys. Rev. E 111, 015420 (2025) [News: CDUT]
  4. Distinct deformation mechanisms of silicate glasses under nanoindentation: The critical role of structure
    Ziming Yan, Ranran Lu, Linfeng Ding, Lianjun Wang, and Zhen Zhang
    J. Appl. Phys. 136, 245101 (2024) [Featured and on the Cover] [News: GEOO]
  5. Revealing hidden medium-range order in silicate glass formers using many-body correlation functions
    Zhen Zhang and Walter Kob
    Phys. Rev. B 110, 104203 (2024) [Editors’ Suggestion]
  6. Minimizing the diffusivity difference between vacancies and interstitials in multi-­principal element alloys
    Bozhao Zhang, Zhen Zhang, Kaihui Xun, Mark Asta, Jun Ding, and Evan Ma
    Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 121, e2314248121 (2024) [News: XJTU]
  7. Nanoindentation-induced evolution of atomic-level properties in silicate glass: Insights from molecular dynamics simulations
    Linfeng Ding, Ranran Lu, Lianjun Wang, Qiuju Zheng, John C. Mauro, and Zhen Zhang
    J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 107,1448 (2024) [Editor’s Choice] [News: GEOO]
  8. Influence of friction on the packing efficiency and short-to-intermediate range structure of hard-sphere systems
    Jiajun Tang, Xiaohui Wen, Zhen Zhang, Deyin Wang, Xinbiao Huang, and Yujie Wang
    J. Chem. Phys. 159, 194901 (2023) [News: CDUT]
  9. Surface properties of alkali silicate glasses: Influence of the modifiers
    Zhen Zhang, Simona Ispas, and Walter Kob
    J. Chem. Phys. 158, 244504 (2023)
  10. Intermediate-range order governs dynamics in dense colloidal liquids
    Navneet Singh, Zhen Zhang, AK Sood, Walter Kob, and Rajesh Ganapathy
    Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 120, e2300923120 (2023)
  11. Effect of local chemical order on the irradiation-induced defect evolution in CrCoNi medium-entropy alloy
    Zhen Zhang, Zhengxiong Su, Bozhao Zhang, Qin Yu, Jun Ding, Tan Shi, Chenyang Lu, Robert O. Ritchie, and Evan Ma
    Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 120, e2218673120 (2023) [News: XJTU]
  12. Profiling the off-center atomic displacements in CuCl at finite temperatures with a deep-learning potential
    Zhi-Hao Wang, Xuan-Yan Chen, Zhen Zhang, Xie Zhang, and Su-Huai Wei
    Phys. Rev. Mater. 7, 034601 (2023)
  13. On the reliability of using reverse Monte Carlo simulations to construct the atomic structure model of metallic glasses
    Chang Liu, Zhen Zhang, Jun Ding, and Evan Ma
    Scr. Mater. 225, 115159 (2023)
  14. Local chemical inhomogeneities in TiZrNb-based refractory high-entropy alloys
    Kaihui Xun, Bozhao Zhang, Qi Wang, Zhen Zhang, Jun Ding, and En Ma
    J. Mater. Sci. Technol. 135, 221-230 (2023)
  15. Shear transformations in metallic glasses without excessive and predefinable defects
    Zhen Zhang, Jun Ding, and Evan Ma
    Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 119, e2213941119 (2022) [News: XJTU]
  16. Fracture of silicate glasses: Microcavities and correlations between atomic-level properties
    Zhen Zhang, Simona Ispas, and Walter Kob
    Phys. Rev. Mater. 6, 085601 (2022)
  17. Origin of the non-linear elastic behavior of silicate glasses
    Zhen Zhang, Simona Ispas, and Walter Kob
    Acta Mater. 231, 117855 (2022) [News: MSE]
  18. Connecting packing efficiency of binary hard sphere systems to their intermediate range structure
    Houfei Yuan, Zhen Zhang, Walter Kob, and Yujie Wang
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 278001 (2021)
  19. Roughness and scaling properties of oxide glass surfaces at the nanoscale
    Zhen Zhang, Simona Ispas, and Walter Kob
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 066101 (2021)
  20. First-principles study of the surface of silica and sodium silicate glasses
    Zhen Zhang, Walter Kob, and Simona Ispas
    Phys. Rev. B 103, 184201 (2021)
  21. Revealing the three-dimensional structure of liquids using four-point correlation functions
    Zhen Zhang and Walter Kob
    Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117, 14032 (2020)
  22. Structure and vibrational properties of sodium silicate glass surfaces
    Zhen Zhang, Simona Ispas, and Walter Kob
    J. Chem. Phys. 153, 124503 (2020)
  23. The critical role of the interaction potential and simulation protocol for the structural and mechanical properties of sodosilicate glasses
    Zhen Zhang, Simona Ispas, and Walter Kob
    J. Non-Cryst. Solids 532, 119895 (2020)
  24. Structural characterization of FeO-SiO2-V2O3 slags using molecular dynamics simulations and FTIR spectroscopy
    Zhen Zhang, Bing Xie, Wang Zhou, Jiang Diao, and Hongyi Li
    ISIJ Int. 56, 828 (2016)

Group Members

Name Role Duration Research direction
Nanqin Xiao Graduate student 09/2022-now Rough and Frictional granular materials
Zhengcheng Xie Graduate student 09/2023-now Glasses under extreme deformation
Tiannan Shen Graduate student 03/2024-now Structure and dynamics of oxide glass formers
Jun Wu Graduate student 04/2024-now Structure and dynamics of model glass formers

Resources

Codes and scripts

Four-point correlation structural analysis
SHIK potential for MD simulations of oxide liquids and glasses

The journey is the destination.