(* Corresponding authors; # Co-first authors)

Peer-reviewed papers:

[38] Rate dependence in granular matter with application to tunable metamaterials
Mingchao Liu, Weining Mao, Yiqiu Zhao,Qin Xu, Yixiang Gan, Yifan Wang, K. Jimmy Hsia,
Matter, 9, 102562 (2026) / Published online: Dec. 18, 2025

[37] Mechanical non-reciprocity programmed by shear jamming in soft composite solids
Chang Xu#, Shuaihu Wang#, Hong Wang#, Xu Liu, Zemin Liu, Yiqiu Zhao*, Wenqi Hu*, Qin Xu*
Nature Materials, 25, 117-123 (2026) / Published online: Nov. 7, 2025
* Nature Materials News: Breaking the rule of reciprocity in soft composite solids.
* Featured on Editor’s Highlight Page
* Featured on HKUST News, EurekAlert, Modern Mechanics, National Tribune, Mirage News, 新浪网，星島日報頭條, 高分子科学前沿,京港学术交流中心

[36] The Identification of Gyrophoric Acid, a Phytochemical Derived from Lichen, as a Potent Inhibitor for Aggregation of Amyloid Beta Peptide: In Silico and Biochemical Evaluation
Meixia Yang, Haitao Hu, Jin Gao, Queenie Wing Sze Lai, Farkhod Eshboev, Ka Wing Leung, Tina Tingxia Dong, Qin Xu, Karl Wah Keung Tsim*
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26, 8500 (2025)

[35] Design of shape morphing of liquid crystal elastomers through pre-shaping methods
Xinyu Wang, Qin Xu, Rui Zhang*
Molecular System Design & Engineering, 10, 906 – 921 (2025)
*Featured on the Cover.

[34] Three-dimensional imaging and measurement of the microscale deformation in soft thin films under micro-indentation
Shaohua Yang, Yue Liu, Yukun Su, Han Gao, Kaiqiang Sun, Qin Xu, Qiuting Zhang, Ye Xu*
Extreme Mechanics Letters, 78, 102355 (2025)

[33] Spontaneous Motion of Liquid Droplets on Soft Gel Surfaces with Non-uniform Crosslinking Densities
Weiwei Zhao#, Wenjie Qian#, Chang Xu, Qin Xu*
Physics of Fluids, 37, 042108 (2025)

[32] Bouncing oil-in-water compound droplets on superamphiphobic surfaces
Shiji Lin, Lijie Sun, Zhiming Zhang, Yie Wang, Yakang Jin, Qin Xu, Zhigang Li*, Longquan Chen*
Physical Review Fluids,  9, 123606 (2024)

[31] Non-monotonic Rheology and Stress Heterogeneity in Confined Granular Suspensions
Haitao Hu, Yiqiu Zhao, Weiwei Zhao, Ligen Qiao, and Qin Xu*
Journal of Rheology, 68, 949-958 (2024)
*Featured Article Selected by Editors.
*Featured on the Back Cover.

[30] Emergence and Growth Dynamics of Wetting-induced Phase Separation on Soft Solids
Wenjie Qian, Weiwei Zhao, Tiezheng Qian, and Qin Xu*
Physical Review Research, 6, 033210 (2024)

[29] Unveiling the Therapeutic Potential of Lobaria Extract and Its Depsides/Depsidones in Combatting Aβ42 Peptides Aggregation and Neurotoxicity in Alzheimer’s Disease
Meixia Yang, Caishan Yan, Dusadee Ospondpant, Lisong Wang, Shengying Lin, Wai L Tang, Tingxia Dong, Penger Tong, Qin Xu, Karl Tsim*
Frontiers in Pharmacology, 15, 1426569 (2024)

[28] Elasticity-controlled jamming criticality in soft composite solids
Yiqiu Zhao*, Haitao Hu, Yulu Huang, Hanqing Liu, Caishan Yan, Chang Xu, Rui Zhang, Yifan Wang, and Qin Xu*
Nature Communications, 15, 1691 (2024)
*Featured on Editors’ Highlights Page.
Highlighted in 高分子科学前沿

[27] The role of surface temperature and roughness in droplet splashing
Shiji Lin, Le Zhou, Biyuan Liu, Qin Xu, Longquan Chen, Zhigang Li*
International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 220,124959 (2024)

[26] Multifunctional Tendon-mimetic hydrogels
Mingze Sun, Hegeng Li. Yong Hou, Han Huang, Xingyu Xia, Hengjia Zhu,Qin Xu, Yuan Lin, and Lizhi Xu*
Science Advances, 9, eade6973 (2023)

[25] Multiscale Soft Surface Instabilities for Adhesion Enhancement
Vaisakh V. Mohanan, Ho Yi Lydia Mak, Nishan Gurung, and Qin Xu*
Materials, 15(3), (2022)

[24] The role of crosslinking density in surface stress and surface energy of soft solids
Weiwei Zhao, Jianhui Zhou, Haitao Hu, Chang Xu, and Qin Xu*
Soft Matter, 18, 507 (2022)
*Featured on the Back Cover.

[23] Reply to the ‘Comment on “Surface elastic constants of soft solids” by E. Gutman’
N. Bain, S. Heyden, Q. Xu, R. W. Style, E. R. Dufresne*
Soft Matter 18(24), 507-513 (2022)

[22] Droplets sit and slide anisotropically on soft, stretched substrates
Katrina Smith-Mannschott, Qin Xu, Stefanie Heyden, Nicolas Bain, Jacco H. Snoeijer, Eric R. Dufresne*, and Robert W. Style*
Physical Review Letters, 126, 158004 (2021)
Suggested by the Editors
Featured in APS Synopsis, ETH D-MATL News

[21] Contact lines on stretched soft solids: Modeling anisotropic surface stresses
Stefanie Heyden, Nicolas Bain, Qin Xu, Robert W. Style, and Eric R. Dufresne*
Proceedings of The Royoal Society A, 447, 20200673 (2021)

[20] Viscoelastic and poroelastic relaxations on soft solid surfaces
Qin Xu*, Lawrence Wilen, Katharine E. Jensen, Robert W. Style, and Eric R. Dufresne*
Physical Review Letters, 125, 238002 (2020)

[19] Stress fluctuations and shear thickening in dense granular suspensions
Qin Xu*, Abhinendra Singh, and Heinrich M. Jaeger
Journal of Rheology, 64, 321 (2020)
JOR Special Issue: “Physics of Dense Suspensions” 

Before Joining HKUST

[18] Effects of Strain-dependent Surface Stress on the Adhesive Contact of a Rigid Sphere to a Compliant Substrate
Zezhou Liu, Katharine E. Jensen, Qin Xu, Robert W. Style, Eric R. Dufresne, Anand Jagota and Chung-Yuen Hui
Soft Matter, 15, 2223-2231 (2019)

[17] Singular dynamics in the failure of soft adhesive contacts
Justin D. Berman, Manjari Randeria, Robert W. Style, Qin Xu, James R. Nichols, Aidan J. Duncan, Michael Loewenberg, Eric R. Dufresne, and Katharine E. Jensen
Soft Matter, 15, 1327-1334 (2019)

[16] The mechanical equilibrium of soft solids with surface elasticity
Robert W. Style and Qin Xu
Soft Matter, 14, 4569-4576 (2018)

[15]  Liquid-Liquid phase separation in an elastic matrix creates uniform droplets of tunable size
Robert W. Style, Tianqi Sai, Nicolo Fanelli, Katrina Smith-Mannschott, Qin Xu, Larry A. Willen and Eric R. Dufresne
Physical Review X, 8, 011028 (2018)

[14] Surface Elastic Constants of a Soft Solid
Qin Xu, Robert W. Style and Eric R. Dufresne
Soft Matter, 14, 916-920 (2018)

[13] Strain-dependent solid surface stress and the stiffness of soft contacts
Katharine E. Jensen, Robert Style, Qin Xu and Eric R. Dufresne
Physical Review X, 7, 041031 (2017).

[12] Direct measurements of surface stress of stretched soft solids
Qin Xu, Katharine E. Jensen, Rostislav Boltyanskiy, Raphael Sarfati, Robert Style, and Eric R. Dufresne
Nature Communications 8, 555 (2017)
Highlighted in ETH Materials NEWS

[11] Shear thickening in highly viscous granular suspensions
Qin Xu, Sayantan Majumdar, Eric Brown and Heinrich M. Jaeger
Europhys. Lett. 107, 68004 (2014)

[10] Dense suspension splat: Monolayer spreading and hole formation after impact
Luuk A. Lubbers, Qin Xu, Sam Wilken, Wendy W. Zhang and Henrich M. Jaeger
Physical Review Letters, 113 (4), 044502 (2014)
Highlighted in the APS NEWS

[9] Controlling electromagnetic waves with meta-surfaces
Qiong He, Shiyi Xiao, Xin Li, Che Qu, Qin Xu, Shulin Sun and Lei Zhou
SPIE Newsroom – Optical Design & Engineering 10.1117/2.1201402.005337 (2014)

[8] Fast Imaging Technique to Study Drop Impact Dynamics of Non-Newtonian Fluids
Qin Xu, Ivo R. Peters, Sam Wilken, Eric Brown and Heinrich M. Jeager
Journal of  Visualized Experiments, 85, e51249 (2014)

[7] Research progress on gradient meta-surfaces
Shulin Sun, Qiong He, Shiyi Xiao, Qin Xu, Xin Li, Che Qu and Lei Zhou
Laser & Optoelectronic Progress, 50, 080009 (2013)

[6] Splashing onset in dense suspension droplets
Ivo R. Peters, Qin Xu and Heinrich M. Jaeger
Physical Review Letters, 111, 028301 (2013)

[5] Impact Dynamics of Oxidized Liquid Metal Drops
Qin Xu, Eric Brown and Heinrich M. Jaeger
Physical Review E, 87, 043012 (2013)

[4] Cinnamate-based DNA photolithography
Lang Feng, Joy Romulus, Minfeng Li,Ruojie Sha, John Royer, Kun-Ta Wu, Qin Xu, Nadrian Seeman, Marcus Weck and Paul Chaikin
Nature Materials, 12, 747-753 (2013)

[3] Effect of oxidation on the mechanical properties of liquid gallium and eutectic gallium-indium
Qin Xu, Nikolai Oudalov, Qiti Guo, Heinrich M. Jaeger and Eric Brown
Physics of Fluids, 24, 063101 (2012)

[2] Gradient-index meta-surfaces as a bridge linking propagating waves and surface waves
Shulin Sun, Qiong He, Shiyi Xiao, Qin Xu, Xin Li and Lei Zhou
Nature Materials, 11, 426-431 (2012)
——The Prize for Important Achievements of Chinese Optics in 2012 

[1] Subdiffusion of a Sticky Particle on a Surface
Q. Xu, L. Feng, R. Sha, N. C. Seeman and P. M. Chaikin
Physical Review Letters, 106, 228102 (2011)