Peng Deli

Deli Peng is an Assistant Professor on the faculty track, a Ph.D. advisor, and a Special Researcher at Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (SIGS). He obtained his Bachelor of Engineering degree from Dalian University of Technology in 2016 under the supervision of Prof. Xuefeng Zhao. He earned his Doctorate in Engineering from Tsinghua University in 2021 under the supervision of Prof. Quanshui Zheng. From 2021 to 2024, he conducted research as a postdoctoral researcher and later as an associate researcher at the Institute of Superlubricity Technology, Tsinghua Shenzhen Institute, where he also served as the Assistant Director and Deputy Director. In 2025, he joined SIGS.

His primary research interests include the fabrication and regulation of superlubric materials, the science and technology of zero friction and zero wear, the design and fabrication of sliding micro/nano devices, interfacial mechanics of low-dimensional materials and atomic-scale manufacturing. He led the development of the first mechanical prototype of a superlubric hard disk, achieving atomic-scale wear-free sliding over a distance of hundreds of kilometers and observing near-supersonic superlubric behavior, as well as zero static friction at the contact interface of solid. These studies have resulted in more than ten academic papers published in Physical Review Letters, PNAS, National Science Review, Nature Communications, Nano Letters, and other journals. He holds over ten granted patents and has led research projects funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology's Key R&D Program, the Guangdong Natural Science Foundation General Program, and the Shenzhen Outstanding Science and Technology Innovation Talent Training Program.

The research group is recruiting postdoctoral fellows, doctoral and master's students. Students interested in the research directions of the group are welcome to contact us via email at pengdeli@sz.tsinghua.edu.cn. Our research group respects each member's choice of research direction based on their own preferences and background, and encourages members to find true interest, pleasure, and motivation in academic research or technology development. Join us to explore the most cutting-edge scientific issues, participate in the invention of the most advanced technologies, and unlock a new world through research! The research group relies on the interdisciplinary experimental platform of the Double Helix Center, the micro-nano experimental platform and the material research and development platform of the Institute of Superlubricity Technology , and Testing Technology Center of the Materials and Devices of the Institute of Materials Research. It has world-class experimental facilities, providing excellent research conditions and learning and growth space for every member.

2016.09–2021.01 , Tsinghua University Solid Mechanics, PhD

2012.09–2016.06, Dalian University of Technology, Hydraulic and Hydropower Engineering, Bachelor

2025.03–Present, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Special Researcher

2023.06–2025.02, Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Shenzhen, Associate Researcher

2021.06–2023.06 Tsinghua University, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School Postdoctoral Fellow (Joint Training)

Research Overview:

Our Research Group, based on the cutting edge of science and technology, conducts fundamental and applied basic research on the preparation and regulation of materials, surface and interfacial properties, device design, and manufacturing of superlubric systems that are nearly frictionless and wear-free. This research involves interdisciplinary frontiers in materials science, physics, chemistry, microelectronics, mechanical engineering, and mechanics. The technologies developed are expected to be applied in fields such as next-generation communication technology, intelligent precision mechatronic systems, and advanced sensing and information technology.

The research group respects each member's choice of research direction based on their own preferences and background, and encourages members to find true interest, pleasure, and motivation in academic research or technology development. Postdoctoral researchers, doctoral students, and master's students are welcome to contact the research group via email at pengdeli@sz.tsinghua.edu.cn to discuss personal research interests.

Specific Research Interests:

Preparation and control of superlubric materials

Design and fabrication of sliding micro/nano devices

Science and technology of zero-friction and zero-wear

Interface mechanics and atomic-scale manufacturing of low-dimensional materials

Principal Investigator of the subproject under the Key R&D Program of the National Ministry of Science and Technology、Principal Investigator of the Guangdong Natural Science Foundation General Project、Principal Investigator for Shenzhen Outstanding Scientific and Technological Innovation Talents Projects.

[1] Deli Peng, Yelingyi Wang, Hao Li, Zhanghui Wu, Xiangqian Yang, Xuanyu Huang, Xiaojian Xiang, Xuanyu Huang, Xiaojian Xiang, Jinhui Nie, Cangyu Qu, Wei Cao, Menghao Wu, Wengen Ouyang, Ze Liu, Ming Ma, Feng Ding, Yilun Liu, Zhiping Xu#, Quanshui Zheng#. Structural superlubric slidevices. Device, 2025. https://www.cell.com/device/abstract/S2666-9986(25)00058-4

[2] Tengfei Li, Deli Peng#, Yelingyi Wang, Guangliang Li, Dinglin Yang, Kaiwen Tian, Wengen Ouyang, Michael Urbakh, and Quanshui Zheng#. Towards Zero Static Friction at the Microscale. Physical Review Letters, 2024, 133(23): 236202. https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.236202

[3] Yelingyi Wang*, Shizhe Feng*, Deli Peng*#, Tengfei Li, Cheng Zheng, Zubo Cai, Zhanghui Wu, Quanshui Zheng#, and Zhiping Xu#. Intrinsic interlayer shear strength of graphite. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 2024, 193: 105853.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022509624003193

[4] Zhanghui Wu*, Xuanhe Li*, Deli Peng#, and Quanshui Zheng#. Positive-Negative Tunable Coefficients of Friction in Superlubric Contacts. Physical Review Letters, 2024, 132(15): 156201.

https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.156201

[5] WeiJia Feng, Ying Liu, Ming Ma, DeLi Peng#, and JinHui Nie#. Conductive edge-warping graphite mesas for robust structural superlubricity. Science China Technological Sciences, 2024, 67(7): 2040-2049.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11431-024-2707-4

[6] Deli Peng, Jin Wang, Haiyang Jiang, Shuji Zhao, Zhanghui Wu, Kaiwen Tian, Ming Ma, and Quanshui Zheng. 100 km wear-free sliding achieved by microscale superlubric graphite/DLC heterojunctions under ambient conditions. National Science Review, 2022, 9(1): nwab109.

https://academic.oup.com/nsr/article/9/1/nwab109/6308838

[7] Deli Peng*, Zhanghui Wu*, Diwei Shi, Cangyu Qu, Haiyang Jiang, Yiming Song, Ming Ma, Gabriel Aeppli, Michael Urbakh, and Quanshui Zheng. Load-induced dynamical transitions at graphene interfaces. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2020, 117(23): 12618–12623.

https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1922681117

[1] A contact-type hard disk with parallel multi-heads: 201910233596.2

[2] Superlubric rotating platform, microscope device with superlubric rotating platform, and LiDAR: 202121306518

[3] In-plane sliding microscope and LiDAR: 202122488130.2

[4] A sliding component with a rough contact surface: 202323526028.2

[5] A sliding device with a non-flat contact surface: 202311795267.X

The Highest Award - Excellent Award (36 out of 2724) in the First Disruptive Technology Innovation Competition of the Ministry of Science and Technology

Special Prize of Baosteel Excellent Student Award

President Scholarship