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Dr Cheng Zhang
Dr

Cheng Zhang

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 334 60345

Overview

Background

Dr Cheng Zhang is an innovative Research Fellow supported by both ARC and NHMRC. He has an outstanding track record in the fields of fluoropolymers, polymer chemistry and materials science. He has made significant contributions to these fields of research through innovative chemistry to build precise fluoropolymer structures and subsequent molecular-level characterisation to understand the structure-property relationship for specific applications including from energy materials e.g. solid electrolytes, sorbent materials for environmental PFAS remediation, to functional biomaterials e.g. imaging and therapeutic agents. Please read more here at the Zhang Group.

Availability

Dr Cheng Zhang is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Research interests

  • Fluorinated compounds

  • Polymeric biomaterials for disease detection and treatment

  • NMR and MRI of polymers

  • Solid fluoropolymer electrolytes

  • PFAS remediation

Research impacts

Dr Zhang's research aims to promote polymer chemistry and its value to society by understanding structure-property relationships to develop novel functional polymeric platforms rapidly. An important way for achieving such a vision is to deliver academic excellence toward social engagement and global impact through industrial collaborations. Over the past five years, he has initiated and maintained great industrial connections with world-leading companies and local city councils, for example, working with Chemours and the City of Gold Coast to advance PFAS capture technologies, and collaborating with Lyndra Therapeutics Inc. to develop new oral drugs for facilitating PFAS elimination from humans. He has published over 90 journal articles, including Nature Materials, Nature Reviews Materials, Chemical Reviews, Journal of the American Chemical Society, ACS Nano, Macromolecules and etc, attracting over 4,000 citations (Google Scholar). He has also successfully secured over $6 M in external grants to support his research in related fields.

His research has achieved positive impacts on the community and has led to commercial, environmental and industrial benefits. He is the inventor and key driver of developing novel fluorinated polymeric devices for removing PFAS from environments (capture of fluorinated carbon compounds, WO2020160626A1). The invention delivers an easy-to-use and reusable highly fluorinated polymer-based device for efficient and selective removal of all classes of PFAS from various contaminated sources. In addition to patent protection, a commercialisation strategy for the invention is currently being developed together with Chemours and UniQuest. In 2021, he has been awarded the Fresh scientist to broadcast my PFAS research to the general public. This provides a great pathway for me to introduce PFAS to the community and builds public awareness of the links between adverse health effects and PFAS.

Awards

2024 CSIRO ON Prime Facilitator Prize

2024 PMSE Early Investigator Award.

2023 Young Tall Poppy Science Award.

2023 ACS Materials AU Rising Star.

2022 UQ Industry Engagement Award.

2021 Elected as the Fresh Scientist in Australia.

Works

Search Professor Cheng Zhang’s works on UQ eSpace

106 works between 2012 and 2025

1 - 20 of 106 works

Featured

2022

Journal Article

Efficient removal of perfluorinated chemicals from contaminated water sources using magnetic fluorinated polymer sorbents

Tan, Xiao, Dewapriya, Pradeep, Prasad, Pritesh, Chang, Yixin, Huang, Xumin, Wang, Yiqing, Gong, Xiaokai, Hopkins, Timothy E., Fu, Changkui, Thomas, Kevin V., Peng, Hui, Whittaker, Andrew Keith and Zhang, Cheng (2022). Efficient removal of perfluorinated chemicals from contaminated water sources using magnetic fluorinated polymer sorbents. Angewandte Chemie (International Edition), 61 (49) e202213071, e202213071. doi: 10.1002/anie.202213071

Efficient removal of perfluorinated chemicals from contaminated water sources using magnetic fluorinated polymer sorbents

2022

Journal Article

Ultra-stable all-solid-state sodium metal batteries enabled by perfluoropolyether-based electrolytes

Wang, Xiaoen, Zhang, Cheng, Sawczyk, Michal, Sun, Ju, Yuan, Qinghong, Chen, Fangfang, Mendes, Tiago C., Howlett, Patrick C., Fu, Changkui, Wang, Yiqing, Tan, Xiao, Searles, Debra J., Král, Petr, Hawker, Craig J., Whittaker, Andrew K. and Forsyth, Maria (2022). Ultra-stable all-solid-state sodium metal batteries enabled by perfluoropolyether-based electrolytes. Nature Materials, 21 (9), 1057-1065. doi: 10.1038/s41563-022-01296-0

Ultra-stable all-solid-state sodium metal batteries enabled by perfluoropolyether-based electrolytes

Featured

2022

Journal Article

Revealing the molecular-level interactions between cationic fluorinated polymer sorbents and the major PFAS pollutant PFOA

Tan, Xiao, Sawczyk, Michał, Chang, Yixin, Wang, Yiqing, Usman, Adil, Fu, Changkui, Král, Petr, Peng, Hui, Zhang, Cheng and Whittaker, Andrew K. (2022). Revealing the molecular-level interactions between cationic fluorinated polymer sorbents and the major PFAS pollutant PFOA. Macromolecules, 55 (3) acs.macromol.1c02435, 1077-1087. doi: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c02435

Revealing the molecular-level interactions between cationic fluorinated polymer sorbents and the major PFAS pollutant PFOA

Featured

2021

Journal Article

Biological Utility of Fluorinated Compounds: from Materials Design to Molecular Imaging, Therapeutics and Environmental Remediation

Zhang, Cheng, Yan, Kai, Fu, Changkui, Peng, Hui, Hawker, Craig J. and Whittaker, Andrew K. (2021). Biological Utility of Fluorinated Compounds: from Materials Design to Molecular Imaging, Therapeutics and Environmental Remediation. Chemical Reviews, 122 (1) acs.chemrev.1c00632, 167-208. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00632

Biological Utility of Fluorinated Compounds: from Materials Design to Molecular Imaging, Therapeutics and Environmental Remediation

Featured

2021

Journal Article

Emergence of hexagonally close-packed spheres in linear block copolymer melts

Zhang, Cheng, Vigil, Daniel L., Sun, Dan, Bates, Morgan W., Loman, Tessa, Murphy, Elizabeth A., Barbon, Stephanie M., Song, Jung-Ah, Yu, Beihang, Fredrickson, Glenn H., Whittaker, Andrew K., Hawker, Craig J. and Bates, Christopher M. (2021). Emergence of hexagonally close-packed spheres in linear block copolymer melts. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 143 (35) jacs.1c03647, 14106-14114. doi: 10.1021/jacs.1c03647

Emergence of hexagonally close-packed spheres in linear block copolymer melts

Featured

2020

Journal Article

Tuning of the aggregation behavior of fluorinated polymeric nanoparticles for improved therapeutic efficacy

Zhang, Cheng, Liu, Tianqing, Wang, Wenqian, Bell, Craig A., Han, Yanxiao, Fu, Changkui, Peng, Hui, Tan, Xiao, Král, Petr, Gaus, Katharina, Gooding, J. Justin and Whittaker, Andrew K. (2020). Tuning of the aggregation behavior of fluorinated polymeric nanoparticles for improved therapeutic efficacy. ACS Nano, 14 (6) acsnano.0c02954, 7425-7434. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.0c02954

Tuning of the aggregation behavior of fluorinated polymeric nanoparticles for improved therapeutic efficacy

Featured

2020

Journal Article

Rapid generation of block copolymer libraries using automated chromatographic separation

Zhang, Cheng, Bates, Morgan W., Geng, Zhishuai, Levi, Adam E., Vigil, Daniel, Barbon, Stephanie M., Loman, Tessa, Delaney, Kris T., Fredrickson, Glenn H., Bates, Christopher M., Whittaker, Andrew K. and Hawker, Craig J. (2020). Rapid generation of block copolymer libraries using automated chromatographic separation. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 142 (21) jacs.0c04028, 9843-9849. doi: 10.1021/jacs.0c04028

Rapid generation of block copolymer libraries using automated chromatographic separation

Featured

2019

Journal Article

Integrating fluorinated polymer and manganese‐layered double hydroxide nanoparticles as pH‐activated 19 F MRI agents for specific and sensitive detection of breast cancer

Zhang, Cheng, Li, Li, Han, Felicity Y., Yu, Xinying, Tan, Xiao, Fu, Changkui, Xu, Zhi Ping and Whittaker, Andrew K. (2019). Integrating fluorinated polymer and manganese‐layered double hydroxide nanoparticles as pH‐activated 19 F MRI agents for specific and sensitive detection of breast cancer. Small, 15 (36) 1902309, 1902309. doi: 10.1002/smll.201902309

Integrating fluorinated polymer and manganese‐layered double hydroxide nanoparticles as pH‐activated 19 F MRI agents for specific and sensitive detection of breast cancer

Featured

2018

Journal Article

High F-content perfluoropolyether-based nanoparticles for targeted detection of breast cancer by 19F magnetic resonance and optical imaging

Zhang, Cheng, Moonshi, Shehzahdi Shebbrin, Wang, Wenqian, Ta, Hang Thu, Han, Yanxiao, Han, Felicity Y., Peng, Hui, Král, Petr, Rolfe, Barbara E., Gooding, John Justin, Gaus, Katharina and Whittaker, Andrew Keith (2018). High F-content perfluoropolyether-based nanoparticles for targeted detection of breast cancer by 19F magnetic resonance and optical imaging. ACS Nano, 12 (9) acsnano.8b03726, 9162-9176. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.8b03726

High F-content perfluoropolyether-based nanoparticles for targeted detection of breast cancer by 19F magnetic resonance and optical imaging

Featured

2017

Journal Article

PFPE-Based Polymeric 19F MRI Agents: A New Class of Contrast Agents with Outstanding Sensitivity

Zhang, Cheng, Moonshi, Shehzahdi Shebbrin, Han, Yanxiao, Puttick, Simon, Peng, Hui, Magoling, Bryan John Abel, Reid, James C., Bernardi, Stefano, Searles, Debra J., Král, Petr and Whittaker, Andrew K. (2017). PFPE-Based Polymeric 19F MRI Agents: A New Class of Contrast Agents with Outstanding Sensitivity. Macromolecules, 50 (15), 5953-5963. doi: 10.1021/acs.macromol.7b01285

PFPE-Based Polymeric 19F MRI Agents: A New Class of Contrast Agents with Outstanding Sensitivity

2025

Journal Article

Revealing the role of varied quaternary ammonium groups for capturing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances

Liu, Kehan, Tan, Xiao, Yang, Zhuojing, He, Yutong, Zhu, Yutong, Chen, Zhou, Leibfarth, Frank A. and Zhang, Cheng (2025). Revealing the role of varied quaternary ammonium groups for capturing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Macromolecules, 58 (5), 2563-2573. doi: 10.1021/acs.macromol.4c02210

Revealing the role of varied quaternary ammonium groups for capturing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances

2025

Journal Article

Hollow Polyaniline Microspheres Encapsulated in Eutectogels for Multimodal Flexible Sensors toward Human Health Monitoring

Yan, Kai, Gong, Miaomiao, Xu, Qunna, Zhang, Cheng, Zong, Yan, Sun, Xiaodan and Xue, Rong (2025). Hollow Polyaniline Microspheres Encapsulated in Eutectogels for Multimodal Flexible Sensors toward Human Health Monitoring. ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 7 (5), 3054-3066. doi: 10.1021/acsapm.4c03746

Hollow Polyaniline Microspheres Encapsulated in Eutectogels for Multimodal Flexible Sensors toward Human Health Monitoring

2025

Book Chapter

Polymeric 19F MRI agents: designing responsive imaging agents

Peng, Hui, Zhang, Cheng, Fu, Changkui and Whittaker, Andrew K. (2025). Polymeric 19F MRI agents: designing responsive imaging agents. Fluorine magnetic resonance imaging: methods and applications in biomedicine. (pp. 1-32) edited by Eric T. Ahrens and Ulrich Flögel. Singapore, Singapore: Jenny Stanford Publishing. doi: 10.1201/9781003530046-1

Polymeric 19F MRI agents: designing responsive imaging agents

2024

Journal Article

Functional fluoropolymer surfactants for droplet generation in microfluidics

Cheng, Xinrong, Wang, Yiqing, Xia, Bingzhao, Tan, Xiao, Li, Xiangke, Zhu, Yutong, He, Yutong, Wang, Yu, Zhang, Yuhao, Liu, Kehan, Qiao, Ruirui and Zhang, Cheng (2024). Functional fluoropolymer surfactants for droplet generation in microfluidics. ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 6 (23), 14401-14409. doi: 10.1021/acsapm.4c02392

Functional fluoropolymer surfactants for droplet generation in microfluidics

2024

Journal Article

Thermoresponsive polymer sorbents for efficient removal of perfluorinated compounds via simple heating

Tan, Xiao, Wang, Yiqing, Yang, Zhuojing, Zhu, Yutong, Yu, Chunrong, Liu, Kehan, He, Yutong, Whittaker, Andrew K. and Zhang, Cheng (2024). Thermoresponsive polymer sorbents for efficient removal of perfluorinated compounds via simple heating. Macromolecules, 57 (23), 11166-11176. doi: 10.1021/acs.macromol.4c01868

Thermoresponsive polymer sorbents for efficient removal of perfluorinated compounds via simple heating

2024

Journal Article

Additives capable of stably supplying anions/cations for homogeneous lithium deposition/stripping

Qian, Shangshu, Tan, Xiao, Zhu, Yutong, Wang, Yun, Chen, Hao, Zheng, Mengting, Zhang, Cheng, Zhang, Shanqing and Lu, Jun (2024). Additives capable of stably supplying anions/cations for homogeneous lithium deposition/stripping. ACS Nano, 18 (50), 34363-34374. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.4c13229

Additives capable of stably supplying anions/cations for homogeneous lithium deposition/stripping

2024

Journal Article

Discrete side chains for direct tuning properties of grafted polymers

Wang, Yiqing, Tan, Xiao, Zhang, Yuhao, Hill, David J. T., Zhang, Afang, Kong, Dehui, Hawker, Craig J., Whittaker, Andrew K. and Zhang, Cheng (2024). Discrete side chains for direct tuning properties of grafted polymers. Macromolecules, 57 (24), 11753-11762. doi: 10.1021/acs.macromol.4c02533

Discrete side chains for direct tuning properties of grafted polymers

2024

Journal Article

Multifunctional nanocomposite polymer-integrated Ca-doped CeO2 electrolyte for robust and high-rate all-solid-state sodium-ion batteries

Yang, Pan, Wu, Zhenzhen, Li, Mingli, Zhang, Cheng, Wang, Yiqing, Zhu, Yutong, Li, Meng, Wang, Yun, Li, Dong-sheng, Chen, Hao and Zhang, Shanqing (2024). Multifunctional nanocomposite polymer-integrated Ca-doped CeO2 electrolyte for robust and high-rate all-solid-state sodium-ion batteries. Angewandte Chemie - International Edition, 64 (6) e202417778, 1-13. doi: 10.1002/anie.202417778

Multifunctional nanocomposite polymer-integrated Ca-doped CeO2 electrolyte for robust and high-rate all-solid-state sodium-ion batteries

2024

Journal Article

Fluoropolymer sorbent for efficient and selective capturing of per- and polyfluorinated compounds

Yang, Zhuojing, Zhu, Yutong, Tan, Xiao, Gunjal, Samruddhi Jayendra Jayendra, Dewapriya, Pradeep, Wang, Yiqing, Xin, Ruijing, Fu, Changkui, Liu, Kehan, Macintosh, Katie, Sprague, Lee G., Leung, Lam, Hopkins, Timothy E., Thomas, Kevin V., Guo, Jianhua, Whittaker, Andrew K. and Zhang, Cheng (2024). Fluoropolymer sorbent for efficient and selective capturing of per- and polyfluorinated compounds. Nature Communications, 15 (1) 8269, 1-10. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-52690-y

Fluoropolymer sorbent for efficient and selective capturing of per- and polyfluorinated compounds

2024

Journal Article

Ultrarobust, self-healing poly(urethane-urea) elastomer with superior tensile strength and intrinsic flame retardancy enabled by coordination cross-linking

Luo, Yuxin, Tan, Meiyan, Shin, Jaeman, Zhang, Cheng, Yang, Shiyuan, Song, Ningning, Zhang, Wenchao, Jiao, Yunhong, Xie, Jixing, Geng, Zhishuai, He, Jiyu, Xia, Min, Xu, Jianzhong and Yang, Rongjie (2024). Ultrarobust, self-healing poly(urethane-urea) elastomer with superior tensile strength and intrinsic flame retardancy enabled by coordination cross-linking. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 16 (33), 43979-43990. doi: 10.1021/acsami.4c08185

Ultrarobust, self-healing poly(urethane-urea) elastomer with superior tensile strength and intrinsic flame retardancy enabled by coordination cross-linking

Funding

Current funding

  • 2024 - 2027
    Removal of Perfluorinated Chemicals Using New Fluorinated Polymer Sorbents
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2025
    Developing Polymer Electrolytes for Operational All-Solid-State Batteries
    ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2023 - 2024
    Removal of Perfluorinated Chemicals in Water Using Novel and Environmentally Stable Fluorinated Polymer Sorbents
    UQ Knowledge Exchange & Translation Fund
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2024
    Perfluoropolyether-Based Ion-Exchange (PEPE-IEX) Platform for Water Filtration
    United States Army International Technology Center-Pacific (ITC-PAC)
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2022
    Translatable Polymeric Nanomedicines towards Clinical Use
    NHMRC Early Career Fellowships
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2018
    Preparation of Highly Effective and Versatile Discrete Molecular Transporters for the Delivery of Drugs and Probes
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Dr Cheng Zhang is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Available projects

  • Removal of Perfluorinated Chemicals PFAS Using New Fluorinated Polymer Sorbents

    Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of highly persistent chemicals that are linked to a number of human diseases, however existing approaches for removal of PFAS are highly inefficient. This project aims to develop and evaluate novel, reusable polymer sorbents for effective PFAS removal. The polymer sorbents will enable efficient, selective and continuous sorption of PFAS, while maintaining excellent environmental stability for long-term implementation in practical devices. The project will develop novel polymer sorbents to revolutionize the remediation of PFAS with high technical, economic and environmental feasibility, creating a pathway to a PFAS-free world, and ultimately protecting the natural environment.

  • Preparation of Highly Effective and Versatile Discrete Molecular Transporters for the Delivery of Drugs and Probes

    The design and development of new agents that enable or enhance the passage of drugs and probes across biological barriers is a goal of unsurpassed significance in the search for improved imaging molecules, diagnostics and therapies. However, the development of highly-effective molecular transporters is hindered by current synthetic strategies. As such, it is critical to be able to prepare novel monodisperse molecular transporters (Ð=1) with precise structures, compositions, and function, which are essential for their special and unique transport properties. In this project, a versatile and scalable strategy for the preparation of discrete (monodisperse) materials will be developed. This approach enables the combination of facile polymerization procedures and ubiquitous purification processes. Different types of well-defined oligomers with different charges will be synthesized and their interaction and internalization with cells will be further demonstrated.

  • 19F MRI Imaging Agents for Disease Detection

    The aim of this project is to develop new magnetic resonance (MR) molecular imaging strategies that will enable the in vivo monitoring of biological processes. Specifically, we will develop novel fluorinated polymers for imaging of early markers of diseases such as melanoma, prostate cancer, malignant glioma and Alzheimer’s disease. Specifically, the project involves the synthesis of new partly-fluorinated polymers having controlled architecture for the rapidly developing field of 19F MRI. Other imaging modalities, drugs and targeting ligands will be conjugated. The project aims to relate the structure of the macromolecules, determined carefully using advanced techniques such as NMR, light scattering, GPC, AFM and electron microscopy, to the performance as imaging agents. The agents will be tested in small animal (mouse) models of disease already developed by this group and our collaborators.

  • High-Resolution Imaging Technologies for Advanced Battery Design

    This project aims to advance the development of long-lasting sustainable batteries by innovating new polymer electrolyte additives and incorporating new imaging techniques. The use of polymer additives is one of the most economical approaches for improving battery performance. However, polymers prepared using modern techniques have a broad range of physical properties and chemical structures, obscuring how their design principles are understood. This project expects to tackle these challenges by developing a new method for producing truly discrete new polymers. The expected outcomes are new knowledge in polymer electrolytes and imaging which will result in more efficient and reliable batteries. This provides significant benefits to polymer science and Australia’s renewable battery industry.

  • Removal of Perfluorinated Chemicals PFAS Using New Fluorinated Polymer Sorbents

    Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of highly persistent chemicals that are linked to a number of human diseases, however existing approaches for removal of PFAS are highly inefficient. This project aims to develop and evaluate novel, reusable polymer sorbents for effective PFAS removal. The polymer sorbents will enable efficient, selective and continuous sorption of PFAS, while maintaining excellent environmental stability for long-term implementation in practical devices. The project will develop novel polymer sorbents to revolutionize the remediation of PFAS with high technical, economic and environmental feasibility, creating a pathway to a PFAS-free world, and ultimately protecting the natural environment.

  • Preparation of Highly Effective and Versatile Discrete Molecular Transporters for the Delivery of Drugs and Probes

    The design and development of new agents that enable or enhance the passage of drugs and probes across biological barriers is a goal of unsurpassed significance in the search for improved imaging molecules, diagnostics and therapies. However, the development of highly-effective molecular transporters is hindered by current synthetic strategies. As such, it is critical to be able to prepare novel monodisperse molecular transporters (Ð=1) with precise structures, compositions, and function, which are essential for their special and unique transport properties. In this project, a versatile and scalable strategy for the preparation of discrete (monodisperse) materials will be developed. This approach enables the combination of facile polymerization procedures and ubiquitous purification processes. Different types of well-defined oligomers with different charges will be synthesized and their interaction and internalization with cells will be further demonstrated.

  • 19F MRI Imaging Agents for Disease Detection

    The aim of this project is to develop new magnetic resonance (MR) molecular imaging strategies that will enable the in vivo monitoring of biological processes. Specifically, we will develop novel fluorinated polymers for imaging of early markers of diseases such as melanoma, prostate cancer, malignant glioma and Alzheimer’s disease. Specifically, the project involves the synthesis of new partly-fluorinated polymers having controlled architecture for the rapidly developing field of 19F MRI. Other imaging modalities, drugs and targeting ligands will be conjugated. The project aims to relate the structure of the macromolecules, determined carefully using advanced techniques such as NMR, light scattering, GPC, AFM and electron microscopy, to the performance as imaging agents. The agents will be tested in small animal (mouse) models of disease already developed by this group and our collaborators.

  • High-Resolution Imaging Technologies for Advanced Battery Design

    This project aims to advance the development of long-lasting sustainable batteries by innovating new polymer electrolyte additives and incorporating new imaging techniques. The use of polymer additives is one of the most economical approaches for improving battery performance. However, polymers prepared using modern techniques have a broad range of physical properties and chemical structures, obscuring how their design principles are understood. This project expects to tackle these challenges by developing a new method for producing truly discrete new polymers. The expected outcomes are new knowledge in polymer electrolytes and imaging which will result in more efficient and reliable batteries. This provides significant benefits to polymer science and Australia’s renewable battery industry.

  • Developing novel imaging tool for monitoring PFAS

    This project aims to innovate and evaluate novel imaging technologies for the sensitive detection, visualization, and quantification of PFAS.

  • Surface engineering of polymer sorbents for efficient PFAS capture

    This project will innovate and evaluate novel and reusable ion-exchange resins enabling superior efficient, selective and continuous sorption of PFAS, while maintaining excellent environmental stability for long-term implementation of PFAS capture.

Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

Contact Dr Cheng Zhang directly for media enquiries about:

  • PFAS

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