Profile

Academician leader driving high-end applications and industrialization of Eucommia rubber

Story

Zhang Liqun is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a renowned rubber materials expert. He has long led a team at Beijing University of Chemical Technology in functional modification research on Eucommia rubber, developing series of elastomer materials such as hydrogenated and epoxidized Eucommia rubber, advancing Eucommia rubber from the 'plastic-state' challenge to the stage of high-performance elastomer applications.

He places even greater emphasis on translating results: leading a National Key R&D Program, he broke foreign monopolies on automotive air springs and hinges using Eucommia rubber's high modulus and high fatigue resistance, achieving industrialization in Zibo; he also collaborated with TCM orthopedics experts to turn Eucommia medicinal glue into 3D-printed small splints featured on CCTV. As President of Xi'an Jiaotong University, he attends the China Eucommia Industry Development Summit Forum year after year, making him the most influential promoter of high-end Eucommia rubber application industrialization.

Milestones

• In January 2023, launched a pilot project with the Zibo National Innovation Center for 100,000 Eucommia rubber hinges per year
• Attended the roll-off ceremony for pilot-scale Eucommia rubber air spring products in Zibo on January 26, 2024
• In June 2024, the 3D-printed Eucommia medicinal-glue small splint appeared on CCTV-1's Chinese Traditional Medicine Conference
• Delivered a video address at the 2024 China Eucommia Industry Development Summit Forum in December 2024
• Attended and addressed the 2025 China Eucommia Industry Development Summit Forum in Nanning in November 2025

Key Contributions

• Led the approval of the Ministry of Science and Technology's 14th Five-Year National Key R&D Program key special project 'Preparation and Large-Scale Application of Bio-Based Elastomers'
• Broke foreign monopolies on air springs and hinges with 'super-aggregated natural rubber + Eucommia rubber' technology; in January 2024, pilot-scale Eucommia rubber air springs and hinges rolled off the line in Zibo, with fatigue life exceeding 6 million cycles
• His team developed series of Eucommia rubber elastomer materials including hydrogenated and epoxidized versions, and collaborated with Chen Weiheng's team to develop 3D-printed Eucommia medicinal-glue small splints featured on CCTV's Chinese Traditional Medicine Conference
• Authored the monograph Natural Rubber and Bio-Based Elastomers, systematically summarizing research progress on Eucommia rubber
• As an academician of the CAE Division of Chemical, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, continuously advocates for the Eucommia industry