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From Soft Matter to Topological Mechanical Metamaterials


Speaker:Prof. Di ZHOU
Affiliation:Beijing Institute of Technology
Date:7 March 2024 (Thu)
Time:2:00 p.m.
Venue:MW325, 3/F, Meng Wah Complex, Main Campus, The University of Hong Kong

Abstract

The study of soft matter systems is critically important in physics and chemistry, and is particularly essential for understanding the mechanical, electrical, and optical properties. Recent advances in applying concepts of topological band theory to soft matter systems have led to the burgeoning new field of "topological mechanics", where nontrivial topologies of the phonon bands give rise to exotic mechanical and acoustic properties. These topologically robust soft-matter systems possess unique properties distinct from acoustic, electronic, and optical topological structures: topological mechanical 'floppy modes' exhibit low boundary elasticity, governing mechanical failure, while topological "states of self-stress" manifest high elastic stability, preventing catastrophic failure. Such topologically robust soft matter systems are ubiquitous in nature, including cytoskeletons, biological fibers, myosin filaments, and jamming processes. In this talk, we will provide an overview of topological soft mechanics, and focus on our latest contributions to this exciting new field.

Biography 

Di Zhou has been appointed as Assistant Professor at the School of Physics, Beijing Institute of Technology since 2021. He received his Bachelor's degree in Physics from Peking University in 2010 and obtained his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign under the guidance of Professor Anthony J. Leggett in 2016. Subsequently, he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and Georgia Institute of Technology in 2019 and 2020, respectively. His main research areas include topological mechanics of soft matter, nonlinear dynamics, and quantum field theory description on the universalities of low-temperature amorphous solids. His research results have been published in journals such as Physical Review X, Physical Review Letters, and Nature Communications, among others.
 

Anyone interested is welcome to attend.


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