Dr. Hejun Li has engaged in composite materials area for 28 years and mainly focuses on the development of low cost and high performance carbon/carbon composites as well as the technology of oxidation resistant coatings. Currently, he is the director of Shaanxi Province Carbon/Carbon Composites Research Center. Previously, he worked as the dean of the school of Materials Science and Engineering in Northwestern Polytechnical University from 2002 to 2016.
Dr. Hejun Li developed controllable deposition technology of high-texture pyrolytic carbon, which efficiently enhanced their ablation properties and performance stabilities. By the use of interface control strategies such as mesophase pitch carbon transition layer, the flexural strength of C/C composites was improved up to 590 MPa at room temperature and 813 MPa at 1700℃, higher than the reported values. He also invented a series of coating preparation methods. By the design of multiphase mosaic and nanophase toughened oxidation resistant coating, the oxidation protection time of the coatings was prolonged up to 1480 h at 1500℃ in air. Moreover, he developed a novel method for preparing carbon fiber reinforced paper-based friction materials, increasing utilization ratio of raw materials from 30-40% to 85%, and improving the service temperature by 50-100℃. All these achievements promote the development and applications of carbon fiber reinforced composite materials.
Dr. Hejun Li holds over 100 patents and has published more than 350 papers with citation 13260 by others and H factor = 46. Due to his great contribution to carbon fiber reinforced composites, he has won many awards including the Second Class Prize of National Natural Science Award in 2016, two Second Class Prizes of National Technological Invention Awards in 2008 and in 2012, and Five First-class Prizes at provincial and ministerial levels. Currently, Dr. Hejun Li continues to further develop low cost and high performance carbon/carbon composites and the technology of oxidation resistant coating to benefit the composites industry.