As a guest of the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) Lecture Series, Di ZHANG, Chair Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, recently shared his insights into the research on architectured metal matrix composites (MMC).

In attendance at the event were Hongwei FANG, Vice President and Provost, Xiaodong HAN, Acting Vice President, alongside faculty members and students.

Throughout the lecture, Di ZHANG revealed the current landscape, practical applications, and future development trends in MMC materials, unraveling their importance and real-world engineering applications.

Underlining the key scientific and technological challenges surrounding composite materials design, interface optimization, and understanding structural dynamics, Professor ZHANG highlighted the association between composite structure-activity relationships and advancements in materials science. He underscored their direct implications on the innovation and development of industrial manufacturing, aerospace, new energy, and various other fields.

Addressing these challenges head-on, he led a team to establish a thermal/dynamic model for a multi-component composite system. Their efforts yielded substantial enhancements in interface compatibility, achieved through meticulous adjustments to the alloy composition and surface properties of the reinforcement material.

Furthermore, they unveiled the intricacies of dynamic recrystallization mechanisms induced by reinforcements during thermal deformation, systematically addressing key scientific and technical hurdles across material design, processing, structure-activity relationships, and configuration control of composite materials. These breakthroughs have successfully been applied to the country’s aerospace industry and other major engineering fields.

To deepen their exploration into composite configurations, Professor ZHANG’s team ingeniously drew inspiration from biological configurations and their structural diversity, proposing the innovative concept of “relic composite materials”. This pioneering approach leverages natural fine configurations to craft new composite materials, offering fresh perspectives and methodologies for structural composite research.

After the lecture, Di ZHANG was presented with a commemorative certificate in recognition of his participation in the SUSTech Lecture series.