Dr. Zhang's research interests lie in producing hetero-nanostructures with special magnetic, optical, electronic, and mechanical properties. The Zhang group has been exploring different hetero-nanostructures (from zero-dimensional to three-dimensional hetero-nanostructures) to various applications, e.g. sensors, biomedical devices, spintronic devices, etc.

The goal of the Laboratory for Multifunctional Nanocomposites, led by Dr. Zhang at Western, focuses on developing cutting-edge nanostructured devices with versatile applications across diverse fields, addressing critical challenges ranging from environmental pollution control, the quality of food and beverages, to disease diagnosis methodologies

The Zhang Group’s research focuses on developing advanced nanomaterials with enhanced chemical, magnetic, and optical functionalities. Current efforts span five core areas: (1) multifunctional nanocomposites (processing and properties), (2) theranostics, (3) protein and chemical sensing, (4) spintronics, and (5) biointegrated and non-invasive detection. Across these themes, the laboratory integrates machine learning approaches throughout the materials-to-device pipeline, combining nanofabrication with modeling and signal analysis to accelerate the discovery of structure-property-function relationships in complex nanosystems.