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About

Yanzhao Yang is pioneering the next generation of smart, responsive materials for soft robotics and wearable electronics. His research centers on liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) and chiral liquid crystals (CLCs), engineering them into shape-programmable micro-supercapacitors and self-sustained soft robots. Yang’s most cited work introduces direct-ink-written micro-supercapacitors that can be electrothermally programmed to change shape, overcoming the rigidity of conventional energy storage. He has also developed self-sustained soft robots that exploit negative feedback loops in LCEs to achieve continuous, autonomous motion without external control. In wearable technology, Yang’s universal water transfer printing method enables scalable structural coloration of responsive textile fibers, allowing CLCs to self-assemble onto complex fiber surfaces for vivid, color-changing smart textiles. With over 30 citations across his recent publications, his contributions are already shaping the future of adaptive devices. Notably, his 2025 work on shape-programmable micro-supercapacitors represents a significant leap toward integrating energy storage with soft, morphing structures, promising transformative applications in next-generation renewable energy and intelligent wearables.