Nanoparticles, Smart materials and structures, Soft robotics, and Soft electronics
Hongda’s research centres on smart materials for soft electronics and soft robotics, targeting advanced, multifunctional systems for emerging applications. His current work focuses on three key areas: (1) the design and optimisation of conductive composites/polymers with enhanced mechanical robustness and electrical performance for wearable electronics; (2) fundamental investigations of liquid metal composites for biomedical applications; and (3) the development of integrated platforms for the controlled fabrication of conductive composites. Dr. Hongda Lu completed his PhD at the University of Wollongong (UOW) in 2023 under the supervision of Senior Professor Weihua Li. He has broadened his international research experience through visiting appointments at North Carolina State University (USA) in 2025, hosted by Professor Michael Dickey, a leading authority in liquid metal and soft electronics. His leadership and research excellence are reflected in competitive funding success, including the UOW Advancement and Equity Grant Scheme for Research (AEGiS) in 2024 and the Early Career Researcher (ECR) Conference Grant in 2026, supporting the delivery of impactful research outcomes.
Key Publications
Hongda Lu; Shi-Yang Tang; Jiayuan Zhu; Xumin Huang; Helen Forgham; Xiangke Li; Ao Shen; Guolin Yun; Jinming Hu; Shiwu Zhang, et al. Nanoengineering Liquid Metal Core–Shell Nanostructures. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2024, 34 (6), 2311300
Hongda Lu; Guolin Yun; Tim Cole; Yiming Ouyang; Hongtai Ren; Jian Shu; Yuxin Zhang; Shiwu Zhang; Michael D. Dickey; Weihua Li, et al. Reversible Underwater Adhesion for Soft Robotic Feet by Leveraging Electrochemically Tunable Liquid Metal Interfaces. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2021, 13 (31), 37904-37914
Hongda Lu; Mengqing Zhao; Qingtian Zhang; Jiayi Yang; Zexin Chen; Liping Gong; Xiangbo Zhou; Lei Deng; Haiping Du; Shiwu Zhang. Liquid Metal Chameleon Tongues: Modulating Surface Tension and Phase Transition to Enable Bioinspired Soft Actuators. Advanced Intelligent Systems 2024, 2400231
Hongda Lu; Shi-Yang Tang; Zixuan Dong; Di Liu; Yuxin Zhang; Chengchen Zhang; Guolin Yun; Qianbin Zhao; Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh; Ruirui Qiao. Dynamic Temperature Control System for the Optimized Production of Liquid Metal Nanoparticles. ACS Appl. Nano Mater. 2020, 3 (7), 6905-6914
Hongda Lu; Qingtian Zhang; Xumin Huang; Tim Cole; Guolin Yun; Yuxin Zhang; Ruirui Qiao; Weihua Li; Shi-Yang Tang. A reconfigurable and automatic platform for the on-demand production of stretchable conductive composites. Smart Mater. Struct. 2023, 32 (4), 045018