Staff Details
Position: Lecturer/ Assistant Professor
Email:Zhu.Diao@mu.ie
Zhu holds a B.Eng. degree from Tsinghua University (Beijing) and a Ph.D. from Trinity College, Dublin. He was a receiver of the Trinity College Postgraduate Ussher Fellowship. Zhu held academic positions in both Sweden and the US before joining Maynooth University. He has taught for many years at the undergraduate level, and supervised various undergraduate as well as postgraduate research projects. Zhu completed a course on teaching and learning for university teachers at Stockholm University
Research Project
Zhu’s current research interests lie in the areas of micro-/nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), thermal properties of electronic materials and circuitry, sensors, instrumentation design, and open-source hardware. He has published ~45 research papers and served as a reviewer for a number of esteemed engineering/physics journals. Zhu is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Institute of Physics (IOP).
Scientific Treatise
MANUSCRIPTS SUBMITTED OR IN PREPARATION
1. Z. Diao, V. T. K. Sauer, J. E. Losby, M. R. Freeman, and W. K. Hiebert, “A quantitative analysis of mechanical modes in doubly clamped silicon opto-mechanical resonators”, in preparation.
2. Z. Diao, D. Campanini, A. Rydh, “Membrane-based differential calorimetry for characterizing superconducting thin films at low temperatures”, in preparation.
3. J. G. Kang, H. Jang, J. Ma, Q. Yang, K. Hattar, Z. Diao, R. Yuan, J. Zuo, S. Sinha, D. G. Cahill, and P. V. Braun, “Ultralow thermal conductivity in nanoporous crystalline Fe3O4”, submitted to Sci. Adv.
BOOK CHAPTERS
4. Z. Diao, V. T. K. Sauer, and W. K. Hiebert, "Integrated on-chip nano-optomechanical systems", Scaling and Integration of High Speed Electronics and Optomechanical Systems, edited by M. Willander and H. Pettersson, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., Singapore (2017).
5. V. T. K. Sauer, Z. Diao, and W. K. Hiebert, “Cantilever resonance detection using nanophotonic structures”, Nanocantilever Beams: Modeling, Fabrication and Applications, edited by M. Zaghloul and I. Voiculescu, Pan Stanford Publishing, Singapore (2016).
JOURNAL ARTICLES
6. K. R. Fast, J. A. Thibault, V. T. K. Sauer, M. G. Dunsmore, A. Kav, J. E. Losby, Z. Diao, E. J. Luber, M. Belov, and M. R. Freeman, “Simultaneous three-axis torque measurements of micromagnetism”, AIP Adv. (accepted).
7. K. Yang, K. Kang, Z. Diao, M. H. Karigerasi, D. P. Shoemaker, A. Schleife, and D. G. Cahill, “Magnetic anisotropy of easy-plane antiferromagnet Fe2As”, Phys. Rev. B 102 (2020) 064415.
8. X. Xie, Z. Diao, and D. G. Cahill, “Microscale, bendable thermoreflectance sensor for local measurements of the thermal effusivity of biological fluids and tissues”, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 91 (2020) 044903.
9. K. Yang, K. Kang, Z. Diao, A. Ramanathan, D. P. Shoemaker, A. Schleife, and D. G. Cahill, “Magneto-optic response of the metallic antiferromagnet Fe2As to ultrafast temperature excursions”, Phys. Rev. Mater. 3 (2019) 124408. Zhu DIAO | Page 4
10. Q. Zheng, G. Zhu, Z. Diao, D. Banerjee, and D. G. Cahill, “High contrast thermal conductivity change in Ni-Mn-In Heusler alloys near room temperature”, Adv. Eng. Mater. 21 (2019) 1801342.
11. X. Xie, J. M. Dennison, J. Shin, Z. Diao, and D. G. Cahill, “Measurement of water vapor diffusion in nanoscale polymer films by frequency-domain probe beam deflection”, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 89 (2018) 104904.
12. M. P. Smylie, K. Willa, J.-K. Bao, K. Ryan, Z. Islam, H. Claus, Y. Simsek, Z. Diao, A. Rydh, A. E. Koshelev, W.-K. Kwok, D. Y. Chung, M. G. Kanatzidis, and U. Welp, “Anisotropic superconductivity and magnetism in single-crystal RbEuFe4As4”, Phys. Rev. B 98 (2018) 104503.
13. Q. Zheng, S. Murray, Z. Diao, A. Bhutani, D. P. Shoemaker, and D. G. Cahill, “Thermal transport through the magnetic martensitic transition in MnxMGe (M = Co, Ni)”, Phys. Rev. Mater. 2 (2018) 075401.
14. D. Campanini, Z. Diao, and A. Rydh, “Raising the superconducting Tc of gallium: in-situ characterization of the transformation of α-Ga into β-Ga”, Phys. Rev. B 97 (2018) 184517.
15. K. Willa, Z. Diao, D. Campanini, U. Welp, R. Divan, M. Hudl, Z. Islam, W.-K. Kwok, and A. Rydh, “Nanocalorimeter platform for in-situ specific heat measurements and x-ray diffraction at low temperature”, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 88 (2017) 125108.
16. Z. Diao, V. T. K. Sauer, and W. K. Hiebert, “Integrated on-chip nano-optomechanical systems”, Int. J. Hi. Spe. Ele. Syst. 26 (2017) 1740005.
17. V. T. K. Sauer, Z. Diao, J. N. Westwood-Bachman, M. R. Freeman, and W. K. Hiebert, “Single laser modulated drive and detection of a nano-optomechanical cantilever”, AIP Adv. 7 (2017) 015115.
18. J. N. Westwood-Bachman, Z. Diao, V. T. K. Sauer, D. Bachman, and W. K. Hiebert, “Even nanomechanical modes transduced by integrated photonics”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 108 (2016) 061103.
19. Z. Diao, D. Campanini, L. Fang, W.-K. Kwok, U. Welp, and A. Rydh, “Microscopic parameters from high-resolution specific heat measurements on super-optimally substituted BaFe2(As1-xPx)2 single crystals”, Phy. Rev. B 93 (2016) 014509.
20. J. E. Losby, F. Fani Sani, D. T. Grandmont, Z. Diao, M. Belov, J. A. J. Burgess, S. R. Compton, W. K. Hiebert, D. Vick, K. Mohammad, E. Salimi, G. E. Bridges, D. J. Thomson, and M. R. Freeman, “Torque-mixing magnetic resonance spectroscopy”, Science 350 (2015) 798 - 801.
21. D. Campanini, Z. Diao, L. Fang, W.-K. Kwok, U. Welp, and A. Rydh, “Superconducting gap evolution in overdoped BaFe2(As1-xPx)2 single crystals through nanocalorimetry”, Phys. Rev. B 91 (2015) 245142.
22. V. T. K. Sauer, Z. Diao, M. R. Freeman, and W. K. Hiebert, “Wavelength division multiplexing of nanooptomechanical doubly clamped beam systems”, Opt. Lett. 40 (2015) 1948 - 1951.
23. J. E. Losby, Z. Diao, F. Fani Sani, D. T. Grandmont, M. Belov, J. A. J. Burgess, W. K. Hiebert, and M. R. Freeman, “Nanomechanical AC susceptometry of an individual mesoscopic ferrimagnet”, Solid State Commun. 198 (2014) 3 - 6.
24. V. T. K. Sauer, Z. Diao, M. R. Freeman, and W. K. Hiebert, “Optical racetrack resonator transduction of nanomechanical cantilevers”, Nanotechnology
25 (2014) 055202. 25. Z. Diao, J. E. Losby, J. A. J. Burgess, V. T. K. Sauer, W. K. Hiebert, and M. R. Freeman, “Stiction-free fabrication of lithographic nanostructures on resist-supported nanomechanical resonators”, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 31 (2013) 051805.
26. Z. Diao, J. E. Losby, V. T. K. Sauer, J. N. Westwood, M. R. Freeman, and W. K. Hiebert, “Confocal scanner for highly sensitive photonic transduction of nanomechanical resonators”, Appl. Phys. Express 6 (2013) 065202.
27. C. Fowley, Z. Diao, C. C. Faulkner, J. Kally, K. Ackland, G. Behan, H. Z. Zhang, A. M. Deac, and J. M. D. Coey, “Local modification of magnetic anisotropy and ion milling of Co/Pt multilayers using a He+ ion beam microscope”, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 46 (2013) 195501. Zhu DIAO | Page 5
28. J. F. Feng, Z. Diao, H. Kurt, R. Stearrett, A. Singh, E. R. Nowak, and J. M. D. Coey, “Influence of growth and annealing conditions on low-frequency magnetic 1/f noise in MgO magnetic tunnel junctions”, J. Appl. Phys. 112 (2012) 093913.
29. M. R. Freeman and Z. Diao, “Spintronics: All-optical spin-wave control”, Nature Photon. (News and Views) 6 (2012) 643 - 645.
30. V. T. K. Sauer, Z. Diao, M. R. Freeman, and W. K. Hiebert, “Nanophotonic detection of side-coupled nanomechanical cantilevers”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 100 (2012) 261102.
31. Z. Diao, E. R. Nowak, K. M. Haughey, and J. M. D. Coey, “Nanoscale dissipation and magnetoresistive 1/f noise in spin valves”, Phys. Rev. B 84 (2011) 094412.
32. G. Q. Yu, Z. Diao, J. F. Feng, H. Kurt, X. F. Han, and J. M. D. Coey, “1/f noise in MgO double-barrier magnetic tunnel junctions”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 98 (2011) 112504.
33. D. Fernández, Z. Diao, P. Dunne, and J. M. D. Coey, “Influence of magnetic field on hydrogen reduction and coreduction in the Cu/CuSO4 system”, Electrochim. Acta 55 (2010) 8664 - 8672.
34. Z. Diao, J. F. Feng, H. Kurt, G. Feng, and J. M. D. Coey, “Reduced low frequency noise in electron beam evaporated MgO magnetic tunnel junctions”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 96 (2010) 202506.
35. J. F. Feng, Z. Diao, G. Feng, E. R. Nowak, and J. M. D. Coey, “Magnetic noise in MgO-based magnetic tunnel junction rings”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 96 (2010) 052504.
36. Z. Diao, E. R. Nowak, G. Feng, and J. M. D. Coey, “Magnetic noise in structured hard magnets”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104 (2010) 047202.
37. Z. Diao, P. A. Dunne, G. Zangari, and J. M. D. Coey, “Electrochemical noise analysis of the effects of a magnetic field on cathodic hydrogen evolution”, Electrochem. Commun. 11 (2009) 740 - 743.
38. A. Prina-Mello, Z. Diao, and J. M. D. Coey, “Internalization of ferromagnetic nanowires by different living cells”, J. Nanobiotech. 4 (2006) 9.
39. P. Qin, J. Z. Zhang, and Z. Diao, “Aggregation patterns of micron-scale CdO crystals at interface of vapour-solid state”, Physica B 352 (2004) 127 - 133. REVIEWED CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
40. F. Fani Sani, J. E. Losby, Z. Diao, L. C. Parsons, J. A. J. Burgess, D. Vick, W. K. Hiebert, and M. R. Freeman, “Strong vortex core pinning and Barkhausen-free magnetization response in thin permalloy disks induced by implantation of 1×104 Ga ions”, J. Appl. Phys. 115 (2014) 17D131.
41. J. Losby, J. A. J. Burgess, Z. Diao, D. C. Fortin, W. K. Hiebert, and M. R. Freeman, “Thermo-mechanical sensitivity calibration of nanotorsional magnetometers”, J. Appl. Phys. 111 (2012) 07D305.
42. Z. Diao, N. Decorde, P. Stamenov, K. Rode, G. Feng, and J. M. D. Coey, “Magnetization processes in micron-scale (CoFe/Pt)n multilayers with perpendicular anisotropy: First-order reversal curves measured by extraordinary Hall effect”, J. Appl. Phys. 111 (2012) 07B538.
43. J. F. Feng, Z. Diao, and J. M. D. Coey, “Annealing effect on low frequency noise in MgO-based magnetic tunnel junctions”, J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 303 (2011) 012098.
44. J.-Y. Chen, J.-F. Feng, Z. Diao, G. Feng, J. M. D. Coey, and X.-F. Han, “Magnetic properties of exchange-biased [Co/Pt]n multilayer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy”, IEEE Trans. Magn. 46 (2010) 1401 - 1404.
45. Z. Diao, M. Abid, P. Upadhyaya, M. Venkatesan, and J. M. D. Coey, “Vortex states in soft magnets in two and three dimensions”, J. Magn. Magn. Mater. 322 (2010) 1304 - 1306
