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About

Zhaohan Yu is a pioneering researcher at the forefront of soft robotics, smart materials, and self-powered flexible electronics. Yu’s work centers on designing bioinspired, stimuli-responsive systems that bridge the gap between material science and practical device engineering. A standout contribution is the development of a fast-response, near-infrared light-driven soft robot, which leverages a novel nanocomposite of liquid crystal elastomers and phase-change polymers to achieve two-stage deformation—a breakthrough for remote-controlled soft actuators (37 citations). Yu also advanced self-powered technologies with a 3D-printed conducting polymer hydrogel DC generator for electromechanical sensing (28 citations), and an infrared-responsive electronic skin driven by piezoelectric nanofiber nanocomposites and microphase transitions, overcoming traditional IR detection limitations (19 citations). These innovations demonstrate Yu’s ability to integrate photoresponsive, piezoelectric, and phase-change mechanisms into multifunctional platforms. With growing citation impact, Yu’s work is shaping the future of autonomous soft robots, wearable sensors, and energy-autonomous systems, offering transformative solutions for biomedical and environmental applications.