Papers
6
Total Citations
70
H-Index
5
About
Ling Yuan is a materials scientist and soft matter researcher whose work sits at the fascinating intersection of chemistry, mechanics, and autonomous locomotion. Yuan's primary contributions center on Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) self-oscillating gels—chemically active soft materials capable of generating internal signals that drive directed movement without external control. A central achievement is demonstrating that directional and rotational locomotion can emerge purely from intrinsic chemical dynamics, challenging the conventional assumption that environmental asymmetry is necessary for active matter directionality (2020, 34 citations). Building on this foundation, Yuan has explored how spiral and pulse chemical waves govern rotational motion (2021, 11 citations), investigated how internal heterogeneity within groups produces collective movement patterns reminiscent of biological swarms (2022, 8 citations), and most recently characterized chiral locomotion transitions with broad implications for understanding sidewinders, bacteria, and self-propelled droplets (2025, 6 citations). Yuan has also made significant practical advances, developing nanogel-crosslinked BZ gels with improved mechanical robustness and faster oscillatory response (2022, 8 citations). Collectively, Yuan's research provides foundational insights for designing next-generation autonomous soft robots capable of biomimetic, self-regulated behavior.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Rotational Locomotion of an Active Gel Driven by Internal Chemical Signals11 citations · 2021
- 3
- 4Heterogeneity-driven collective-motion patterns of active gels8 citations · 2022
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