Brief Introduction

Dr. Cangyu xingkong星空集团官网 joined SUSTech as an assistant professor in August 2026. He is the PI of the Lab for Mechanics and Tribology at Micro/Nano Interfaces. Dr. xingkong星空集团官网 earned both his bachelor's and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanics from Tsinghua University, where his Ph.D. work received the Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation Award from the Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (CSTAM). Prior to joining SUSTech, he was a postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania from 2021 to 2026.

Dr. xingkong星空集团官网 is broadly interested in nanotribology, nanomechanics, and two-dimensional materials. He has published 26 peer-reviewed articles with over 1,000 total citations, including in top journals such as Physical Review Letters, Science Advances, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). His work has been highlighted by media including Nature Materials News & Views, Tsinghua News, and Penn Engineering News.

Research Interests

Tribology; Nanomechanics; Mechanochemistry; Nanoscale Fracture Mechanics; Two-Dimensional xingkong星空集团官网

Educational Background

2013.9-2019.7, Tsinghua University, xingkong星空集团官网D.

2009.9-2013.7, Tsinghua University, B.S.

Professional Experience

2026.8-present, Southern University of Science and Technology, Assistant Professor

2021.8-2026.7, University of Pennsylvania, Postdoctoral Researcher

2019.8-2021.6, Institute of Superlubricity Technology, Research Associate

Selected Publications

1. xingkong星空集团官网, C., Carpick, R.* (2025). Mechanochemistry at Nanoscale Metallic Contacts: How Stress and Voltage Drive Tribopolymerization. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 17(40), 56593. (Front cover)

2. xingkong星空集团官网, C., Fang, L., Carpick, R.* (2025). Contact Mechanics Correction of Activation Volume in Mechanochemistry. Physical Review B, 111(19), 195405.

3. Capaldi, L.N., Yuan, L., xingkong星空集团官网, C., Sánchez, D.A., Carpick, R.W.* and Tertuliano, O.A.*, (2025). High-Throughput Formation of 3D van der Waals Auto-Kirigami. Nano Letters, 25(10), 3964.

4. Peng, D., Wang, Y., Li, H., Wu, Z., Yang, X., Huang, X., Xiang, X., Nie, J., xingkong星空集团官网, C., Cao, W., Wu, M., Ouyang, W., Liu, Z., Ma, M., Ding, F., Liu, Y., Xu, Z.*, Zheng, Q.* (2025). Structural superlubric slidevices. Device. (Published online)

5. Yang, D., xingkong星空集团官网, C.*, Gongyang, Y., Zheng, Q.* (2023). Manipulation and Characterization of Submillimeter Shearing Contacts in Graphite by the Micro-Dome Technique. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 15(37), 44563.

6. xingkong星空集团官网, C.*, Shi, D., Chen, L., Wu, Z., Wang, J., Shi, S., Gao, E., Xu, Z., Zheng, Q.* (2022). Anisotropic Fracture of Graphene Revealed by Surface Steps on Graphite. Physical Review Letters, 129(2), 026101.

7. Wang, K., He, Y., Cao, W., Wang, J., xingkong星空集团官网, C., Chai, M., Liu, Y., Zheng, Q., Ma, M.* Structural superlubricity with a contaminant-rich interface. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 169, 105063 (2022).

8. Jia, X., Shao, Q., Xu, Y., Li, R., Huang, K., Guo, Y., xingkong星空集团官网, C., Gao, E.* (2021). Elasticity-Based Exfoliability Measure for High-Throughput Computational Exfoliation of Two-Dimensional Materials. npj Computational Materials, 7 (1), 211.

9. He, Y., Li, H., xingkong星空集团官网, C., Cao, W.*, & Ma, M.* (2021). Recent understanding of solid-liquid friction in ionic liquids. Green Chemical Engineering, 2(2), 145–157.

10. He, Y., Shi, D., xingkong星空集团官网, C., Xu, Z., Chen, L., Wang, Y., Yu, Z., & Ma, M.* (2021). Diffusion Induced Different Distributions of Sulfur Clusters on Suspended and Supported Graphene. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 125(21), 11722.

11. xingkong星空集团官网, C., Wang, K., Wang, J., Gongyang, Y., Carpick, R., Urbakh, M., Zheng, Q.* (2020). Origin of Friction in Superlubric Graphite Contacts. Physical Review Letters, 125(12), 126102.

12. Wang, K., xingkong星空集团官网, C.*, Wang, J., Quan, B., Zheng, Q.* (2020). Characterization of a Microscale Superlubric Graphite Interface. Physical Review Letters, 125(2), 026101. (Editors’ suggestion)

13. xingkong星空集团官网, C., Xiang, X., Ma, M., Zheng, Q.* (2020). Controlled Movements in Superlubric MEMS. Journal of Harbin Institute of Technology (New Series), 27(3), 45.

14. Zhao, S., Shi, S., Xia, K., Wang, T., Chai, M., Zhang, Y., xingkong星空集团官网, C.*, Zheng, Q.* (2020). Scratching of Graphene-Coated Cu Substrates Leads to Hardened Cu Interfaces with Enhanced Lubricity. ACS Applied Nano Materials, 3(2), 1992.

15. Peng, D., Wu, Z., Shi, D., xingkong星空集团官网, C., Jiang, H., Song, Y., Ma, M., Aeppli, G., Urbakh, M., Zheng, Q.* (2020). Load-induced dynamical transitions at graphene interfaces. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 117(23) 12618.

16. Song, Y., xingkong星空集团官网, C., Ma, M.* & Zheng, Q. (2020). Structural Superlubricity Based on Crystalline Materials. Small. 16(15), 1903018.

17. Liu, B., Wang, J., Zhao, S., xingkong星空集团官网, C., Liu, Y., Ma, L., Zhang, Z., Liu, K., Zheng, Q., Ma, M.* (2020). Negative friction coefficient in microscale graphite/mica layered heterojunctions. Science Advances, 6(16), eaaz6787.

18. Gongyang, Y., Ouyang, W.*, xingkong星空集团官网, C., Urbakh, M., Quan, B., Ma, M.*, & Zheng, Q. (2020). Temperature and velocity dependent friction of a microscale graphite-DLC heterostructure. Friction, 8(2), 462–470.

19. xingkong星空集团官网, C., Shi, S., Ma, M., Zheng, Q.* (2019). Rotational Instability in Superlubric Joints. Physical Review Letters, 122(24), 246101. (Highlighted by Nature Materials)

20. xingkong星空集团官网, C., Cao, W., Liu, B., Wang, A., Xie, F., Ma, M., Shan, W., Urbakh, M., Zheng, Q.* (2019). Direct Measurement of Adhesions of Liquids on Graphite. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 123(18), 11671.

21. Wang, K., xingkong星空集团官网, C., Wang, J., Ouyang, W., Ma, M.*, Zheng, Q.* (2019). Strain Engineering Modulates Graphene Interlayer Friction by Moiré Patterns Evolution. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 11, 36169.

22. Wang, J., Cao, W., Song, Y., xingkong星空集团官网, C., Zheng, Q., Ma, M.* (2019). Generalized Scaling Law of Structural Superlubricity. Nano Letters. 19, 7735.

23. xingkong星空集团官网, C., Liu, B., Ma, M., Zheng, Q.* (2018). Design and Optimization of the Diamagnetic Lateral Force Calibration Method. Review of Scientific Instruments, 89(11), 113704.

24. Gongyang, Y., xingkong星空集团官网, C., Zhang, S., Ma, M.*, & Zheng, Q.* (2018). Eliminating delamination of graphite sliding on diamond-like carbon. Carbon, 132, 444.

25. Liu, B., Wang, J., Peng, X., xingkong星空集团官网, C., Ma, M.*, & Zheng, Q. (2018). Direct fabrication of graphite-mica heterojunction and in situ control of their relative orientation. Materials & Design, 160, 371–376.

26. Shan, S., Kang, S. H., Wang, P., xingkong星空集团官网, C., Shian, S., Chen, E. R., Bertoldi, K.* (2014). Harnessing multiple folding mechanisms in soft periodic structures for tunable control of elastic waves. Advanced Functional Materials, 24(31), 4935.

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