Dr. Zhidong Zhang discovered and understood the quantum well effects in magnetic ultra-thin films. The experimental and theoretical work carried out during his visit in 1996 at University of California at Berkeley revealed that the quantum well interference effect is the mechanism of interlayer exchange coupling via a non-magnetic layer between magnetic films. He also predicted the existence of the exchange coupling via a magnetic layer of two magnetic films, which was confirmed later by experiments. These works were recognized as the base of wave function engineering.
Since 1993, Dr. Zhang has been a professor in Institute of Metal Research (IMR), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) at Shenyang, China. He devoted in the research of permanent magnetic films, magnetic nanocapules, topological spin textures in magnetic materials, and condensed matter physics theories. He had directed the completion of thesis research of 68 Ph.D. and 9 Master students. He was invited to serve on Program Committee for several important International Conferences on Magnetism and Magnetic Materials (for instance, ICM2018, MMM2016, IEEE InterMag 2015 and 2011, etc.). During his academic career period, he received the third class of the National Award for Natural Sciences (1995), the first class of the CAS Award for Advances in Sciences and Technology (1995), the first class of the Liaoning Province Award for Natural Sciences (2011), the first class of the Beijing City Award for Natural Sciences (2016), for his achievements on magnetic properties of rare-earth transition-metal compounds, application research of magnetic-treatment technology, electromagnetic properties of magnetic nanocapusles, and dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates, respectively.
Dr. Zhang succeeded in preparation of both isotropic and anisotropic nanocomposited multilayered magnets with high performance of magnetic properties. His group invented a novel technique to overcome the technical difficulties for realization of anisotropic nanocomposited multilayered magnets, which was a breakthrough in the field of permanent magnet. Dr. Zhang invented several techniques to synthesize novel types of magnetic nanocapsules with core-shell structures exhibiting good performance for microwave absorption, catalysis, etc. Recently, he also discovered the existence of magnetic skyrmions in nanostructures, revealed the topological property of magnetic domains and characterized the topological contribution to physical properties. .
Dr. Zhang holds over 30 patents and published more than 600 papers in fields of magnetism and magnetic materials, and condensed matter physics.