Education background

2009-2013: Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering, University of Twente, The Netherlands

2006-2009: Master of Science in Chemical Engineering, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

2002-2006: Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University, China

Experience

2022-present: Associate professor, Tsinghua University, China

2017-2022: Research associate professor, Tsinghua University, China

2013-2017: Post-doc researcher, University of Twente, The Netherlands

Concurrent Academic

Committee member, Small Refrigerator Cryobiomedical Committee of Chinese Association of Refrigeration

Session chair, The Third Asian Conference on Thermal Sciences (ACTS 2024)

Session chair, the 28th International Cryogenic Engineering Conference and International Cryogenic Materials Conference 2022 (ICEC28-ICMC 2022)

Editorial Board, Cryo

Topic editor, Energies

Youth Editorial Board, Journal of Refrigeration

Youth Editorial Board, Vacuum and Cryogenics

Areas of Research Interests/ Research Projects

Cryogenic cooling: Design and realization of micro cryocoolers, Clogging and suppression mechanisms of Joule-Thomson cryocoolers, Ultra-low vibration sorption cryogenic cooling

High heat flux cooling: Thermal management of high heat flux electronic devices, Condensation heat transfer of fluorinert vapor in the presence of non condensable gas, eEfficient separation of non-condensable gas and fluorinert vapor

Amorphous water ice: Formation mechanism of metastable amorphous water ice, Transition mechanism from amorphous water ice to crystalline ice, Influence mechanism of non-water molecules on ice formation process

Research Status

Ongoing Research Projects

Mechanism of formation and lifetime extension of metastable amorphous solid water films on cryogenic surfaces, supported by National Nature Science Foundation of China

Fundamental theories and key technologies of micro-cryocooling system for semiconductor chips, supported by National Nature Science Foundation of China

Industry-University Collaborative Projects with enterprises such as Midea Refrigeration Equipment Co., Ltd. (Guangdong) and Lenovo (Beijing) Co., Ltd.

Completed Research Projects

Clogging and inhibition mechanism of micromachined Joule-Thomson cryocoolers, supported by Beijing Natural Science Foundation

Excellent Young Scientists Fund Program (Overseas), supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China

Industry-University Collaborative Projects with enterprises such as Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. and Langdi Measurement and Control Technology Co., Ltd.

Honors And Awards

2024, Excellent Supervisor of Graduate Student Social Practice, Tsinghua University

2023, Annual Teaching Excellence Award, Tsinghua University

2022, Journal of Refrigeration Outstanding Paper Award, Editorial Board of Journal of Refrigeration

2022, First Prize Advisor, 15th National University Student Social Practice and Science Contest on Energy Saving and Emission Reduction

2021, First Prize Advisor, 14th National University Student Social Practice and Science Contest on Energy Saving and Emission Reduction

2017, Cryogenics Best Paper Award, Editors of Cryogenics

2016, Gustav and Ingrid Klipping Award, International Cryogenic Engineering Committee

2015, Networking/Partnering Initiative (NPI) Research grant, European Space Agency

Academic Achievement

Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lKYCx64AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

1. Representative papers

[1] Xiong ZW, Cao HS, Phase-Field-Based Lattice Boltzmann Modeling of Thermal Phase Change Initiated from a Single Phase, Physics of Fluids, 2025, 37, 033339.

[2] Liu JH, Cao HS, Pathways and Characteristics of Water Vapor-to-Ice Transformation on SiO2 Surfaces, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2025, 242, 126811.

[3] Li YF, Cao HS, Deposition of Water Vapor on Au(001) Substrates: Effect of Temperature and Deposition Frequency, The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 2025, 16: 245–252.

[4] Ni FY, Huang YH, Cao HS, Thermodynamic limits of 4He and 3He Joule–Thomson cryocoolers, Energy, 2024, 313: 133780.

[5] Liu JH, Cao HS, Sub-ambient water wettability of hydrophilic and hydrophobic SiO2 surfaces, The Journal of Chemical Physics, 2024, 161: 184701.

[6] Lin M, Xiong ZW, Cao HS, Bridging classical nucleation theory and molecular dynamics simulation for homogeneous ice nucleation, Journal of Chemical Physics, 2024, 161(8), 084504.

[7] Li FN, Cao HS, Machine-learning algorithms for predicting condensation heat transfer coefficients in the presence of non-condensable gases, International Journal of Refrigeration, 2024, 162, 215-233.

[8] Qin LX, Cao HS, Exploring the Potential of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Cryogenic Helium-Based Gas Gap Heat Switches via High-Throughput Computational Screening, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 2024, 16(13), 17025-17040.

[9] Cao HS, Wang CH, Qi LM, Liu DL, Meng QH, Temperature stability of a Joule–Thomson microcooler operating with pure and mixed gases, Applied Thermal Engineering, 2024, 238, 121995.

[10] Lin M, Cao HS, Li JM, Control strategies of ice nucleation, growth, and recrystallization for cryopreservation, Acta Biomaterialia, 2023, 155, 35–56.

[11] Cao HS, Liu BQ, Qin LX, Sorption cryogenic cooling: Fundamentals, progress, and outlook, Applied Thermal Engineering, 2022, 213, 118680.

[12] Cao HS, Meng QH, Tong X, Wang CH, Liu BQ, Wang XT, A closed-cycle miniature Joule–Thomson cooler for cooling cold electronics, Applied Thermal Engineering, 2022, 209, 118237.

[13] Lin M, Cao HS, Meng QH, Li JM, Jiang PX, Insights into the crystallization and vitrification of cryopreserved cells, Cryobiology, 2022, 106, 13-23.

[14] Geng LH, Cao HS, Meng QH, Li JM, Jiang PX, Effects of operating conditions and geometries on the performance of nitrogen ejectors for Joule-Thomson cooling, Applied Thermal Engineering, 2022, 212, 118557.

[15] Qin LX, Cao HS, Liu BQ, Zhu YH, Li JM, Single-stage or multi-stage compression: Which is better for sorption compressors? Cryogenics, 2022, 125, 103497.

[16] Qin LX, Cao HS, Li JM, Wu YZ, ter Brake HJM, Performance comparison of sorption compressors for methane using metal-organic frameworks and activated carbon as adsorbents, Cryogenics, 2022, 123, 103441.

[17] Cao HS, Formation and crystallization of low-density amorphous ice, Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 2021, 54, 203002.

[18] Cao HS, Refrigeration Below 1 Kelvin, Journal of Low Temperature Physics, 2021, 204, 175-205.

[19] Cao HS, ter Brake HJM, Progress in and outlook for cryogenic microcooling, Physical Review Applied, 2020, 14, 044044.

[20] Cao HS, Vanapalli S, Holland HJ, Vermeer CH, ter Brake HJM, Heat-triggered two-phase flow maldistribution in a micromachined cryogenic cooler, Cryogenics, 2020, 106, 103026.

2. Books and Book Chapters

[1] ter Brake HJM, Cao HS, Chapter F1.4. Microcooling, editor: Cardwell DA, Larbalestier DC, Braginski A, Handbook of superconductivity: Processing and Cryogenics, CRC Press, 2022. (ISBN: 9781439817346).

[2] Cao HS, Micromachined 30 K Joule-Thomson cryogenic cooler, University of Twente, 2013. (ISBN: 9789036501392).