Uploaded May 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Thomas Edison invented the first successful lightbulb after thousands of failed trials. His discovery of that perfect incandescent carbon filament literally lit up the world. But what if he had had a recipe to speed up the process?
That recipe is exactly what Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellow Li Zhu aims to bring to future engineers, scientists, and inventors! As a computational materials scientist, Zhu uses computer models to predict new materials before they exist, removing much of the need for trial and error. His models provide a map that allows Carnegie’s experimental scientists to more easily create new materials.
Early in 2020, this computational prediction method led to the creation of a long-sought-after class of “superdiamond” called a carbon clathrate. These networks of diamond-like carbon cages can hold other elements inside of their structure, allowing their mechanical and electronic properties to be tuned and adjusted. Without the help of Zhu’s roadmap, there is no telling when this material would have been synthesized.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic had everyone working from home, we sat down with Li Zhu for an interview about his recent work. Below you will find an edited transcript of our interview, plus some bonus material that we had to cut out of the video for time.
Thomas Edison invented the first successful lightbulb after thousands of failed trials. His discovery of that perfect incandescent carbon filament literally lit up the world. But what if he had had a recipe to speed up the process?
That recipe is exactly what Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellow Li Zhu aims to bring to future engineers, scientists, and inventors! As a computational materials scientist, Zhu uses computer models to predict new materials before they exist, removing much of the need for trial and error. His models provide a map that allows Carnegie’s experimental scientists to more easily create new materials.
Early in 2020, this computational prediction method led to the creation of a long-sought-after class of “superdiamond” called a carbon clathrate. These networks of diamond-like carbon cages can hold other elements inside of their structure, allowing their mechanical and electronic properties to be tuned and adjusted. Without the help of Zhu’s roadmap, there is no telling when this material would have been synthesized.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic had everyone working from home, we sat down with Li Zhu for an interview about his recent work. Below you will find an edited transcript of our interview, plus some bonus material that we had to cut out of the video for time.
