Tao Ran is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Institute of Advanced Structure Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology. He has been engaged in the research of lightweight multi-functional composite structure design and manufacturing technology and application. Part-time member of the Professional Committee of Aerospace Composite Materials and Applications of China Composite Materials Society, member of the professional committee of aerospace dynamic composite materials and applications, editorial board member of intelligent manufacturing, IJSNM and other journals, and reviewer of more than 30 journals such as PNAS, JMPS and CMAME. He is the first/corresponding author of Advanced Functional Materials, Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, Composites Science and Technology has published more than 50 SCI papers and applied for more than 30 national invention patents. He has presided a number of national youth fund, key research and development projects, basic research projects/funds, supporting projects, etc. He was awarded the Second Prize of China Technology Market Association Golden Bridge Award, China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and Zhongguancun Emerging Field special Competition.

3D Printing and Composite Material Design and Manufacturing
Digital design and manufacturing of lightweight multifunctional structures

[1] Jixiang Qi, Zihao Chen, Peng Jiang, Wenxia Hu, Yonghuan Wang, Zeang Zhao, Xiaofei Cao, Shushan Zhang, Ran Tao*, Ying Li*, Daining Fang.Recent Progress in Active Mechanical Metamaterials and Construction PrinciplesAdv Sci. 2022;9:2102662.

[2] Tianrui Li*, Xiyan Du, Dong Zhou, Yiqi Mao, Ran Tao*, Daining Fang. Research on foldable two-matrix 3D braided composites: Manufacturing and bending progressive damage.Compos Sci Technol. 2024;252:110637.

[3] Yu Chen, Ran Tao*, Yiqi Mao*. Thermal reaction based mesoscale ablation model for phase degradation and pyrolysis of needle-punched composite.Compos Sci Technol. 2024;258:110898.

[4] Yuhan Guo, Haoyu Guo, Yuwei Han, Xi Chen, Jinyuan Liu, Meng Yang, Tongqing Lu, Junrong Luo, Ran Tao*, Qingsheng Yang*, Kun Jia*.Multifunctional Hydrogel Sensor with Curved Macro Cracks: A Strategy for High Sensitivity and Wide Detection Range .Adv Funct Mater. 2023;33:2306820.

[5] Xinyu Liu, Qingsheng Yang*, Xia Liu, Ran Tao*, Wei Rao*. A visco-hyperelastic constitutive model of hydrogel considering the coupling effect between segment motion and interchain slippageJ Mech Phys Solids. 2025;196:105996.

[6] Jiaxin Wang, Xia Liu*, Qingsheng Yang*, Ran Tao*, Ying Li, Lianhua Ma. A novel programmable composite metamaterial with tunable Poisson’s ratio and bandgap based on multi-stable switching.Compos SciTechnol.2022;219:109245.

[7]Shuo Cao, Ting Fu, Ran Tao*, Yiqi Mao*, Shujuan Hou. Homogenization-based analysis of pyrolysis and mechanical degradation of ablative silica fiber-reinforced phenolic resin composites.Int J Heat Mass Transf. 2025;236:126328.

[8] Jinyuan Liu, Xi Chen, Bonan Sun, Haoyu Guo, Yuhan Guo, Shengyuan Zhang, Ran Tao*, Qingsheng Yang*, Jingda Tang*. Stretchable strain sensor of composite hydrogels with high fatigue resistance and low hysteresis .J Mater Chem A. 2022;10:25564–74.

[9] Fang Zhao, Yuzhan Li*, Hong Gao*, Ran Tao*, Yiqi Mao*, Yu Chen, Sheng Zhou, Jianming Zhao, Dong Wang.Design and Characterization of Deformable Superstructures Based onAmine-Acrylate Liquid Crystal Elastomers. Adv Sci. 2023;10:2303594.

[10] Yuheng Liu, Ziyu Xing, Haibao Lu*, Ran Tao*. Brauer diagram model of suppositional phantom network in double-network gel undergoing mechanochemical coupling.Giant. 2024;17:100210.

[11] Ran Tao, Longtao Ji, Ying Li*, Zhishuai Wan, Wenxia Hu, Wenwang Wu, Binbin Liao*, Lianhua Ma, Daining Fang. 4D printed origami metamaterials with tunable compression twist behavior and stress-strain curves.Compos Part B Eng. 2020;201:108344.

[12] Ran Tao, Jianguo Zhu, Yuefei Zhang*, Wei-Li Song, Haosen Chen*, Daining Fang. Quantifying the 2D anisotropic displacement and strain fields in graphite-based electrode via in situ scanning electron microscopy and digital image correlation.Extreme Mech Lett. 2020;35:100635.

[13] Binbin Liao, Panding Wang, Jinyang Zheng, Xiaofei Cao, Ying Li*, Quanjin Ma, Ran Tao*, Daining Fang.Effect of double impact positions on the low velocity impact behaviors and damage interference mechanism for composite laminates.Compos Part Appl Sci Manuf. 2020;136:105964.

[14] Yu-Ling Wei, Qing-Sheng Yang*, Xia Liu, Ran Tao*.Multi-bionic mechanical metamaterials: A composite of FCC lattice and bone structures.Int J Mech Sci. 2022;213:106857.

[15] Yu-Ling Wei, Qing-Sheng Yang*, Ran Tao*. SMP-based chiral auxetic mechanical metamaterial with tunable bandgap function.Int J Mech Sci. 2021;195:106267.

[16] Xinchun Zhang, Yuesong Han, Min Zhu, Yuhao Chu, Weiduan Li, Yanpeng Zhang, Yan Zhang, Junrong Luo, Ran Tao*, Junfeng Qi*. Bio-inspired 4D printed intelligent lattice metamaterials with tunable mechanical property.Int J Mech Sci. 2024;272:109198.

[17] Ran Tao, Yu Chen, Geng Zhi, Junrong Luo, Tian Zhao*, Wenwang Wu*.Three-phase soft mechanical metamaterials for tunable negative expansion deformation and bandgaps.A Compos Struct. 2024;329:117808.

[18] Yu-Ling Wei, Qing-Sheng Yang*, Lian-Hua Ma, Ran Tao*, Jun-Jun Shang. Design and analysis of 2D/3D negative hydration expansion Metamaterial driven by hydrogel.Mater Des. 2020;196:109084.

[19] Chen Zhu, Lizhi Zhang, Yabing Yang, Ben Wang, Junrong Luo, Ran Tao*, Jianning Ding, Lin Xu*.Light-driven liquid crystal elastomer actuators based on surface plasmon resonance for soft robots. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces.2024:acsami.4c14718.

[20] Tao Ran, Chunwang He, Junrong Luo, Yiqi Mao, Lianhua Ma. Research Progress of Design Theory and Simulation of Composite Components.Chin J Eng Sci. 2023;25:121.

Second Prize in Golden Bridge of China Technology Market Association