Dr. Zejun Deng is an Associate Professor and Core Member of the State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy at Central South University (CSU). He received his Ph.D. in 2020 from the Institut polytechnique de Paris under the supervision of prominent electroanalytical experts Dr. Christophe Renault and Dr. Fouad Maroun. Following his Ph.D., he conducted postdoctoral research at the National University of Singapore in collaboration with Prof. Huilin Shao.

Dr. Deng's research primarily focuses on diamond electrochemistry and electrochemical biosensing materials. He has published over 30 SCI-indexed papers, with more than 20 papers as the first or corresponding author in prestigious journals such as Chemical Science, Analytical Chemistry, ACS Sensors, Water Research, Carbon, Chemical Engineering Journal, Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, Electrochimica Acta, and Applied Surface Science. He currently serves as the Secretary-General of the Electrochemical Functional Materials Branch and a Committee Member of the Smart Sensing Functional Materials and Devices Branch of the Chinese Materials Research Society (C-MRS). He was awarded the Outstanding Young Scientist Award by Functional Diamond in 2022 and the Excellent Innovation and Entrepreneurship Mentor in the 8th China International College Students’ “Internet+” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.

E-mail address：zejun.deng@csu.edu.cn

- Research Interests

[1] Diamond Semiconductor Electrode Materials
With their ultra-wide electrochemical window, extremely low background current, excellent chemical stability, and anti-fouling properties, diamond semiconductor electrodes have emerged as ideal next-generation materials for electrochemical analysis and environmental treatment.

① Fabrication of Diamond Nanoprobes and Intracellular ROS/RNS Monitoring: Using micro/nanofabrication techniques, we develop high-aspect-ratio boron-doped diamond (BDD) nanoprobes combined with surface functionalization to build highly biocompatible sensing interfaces. These probes enable high-spatiotemporal-resolution and low-invasive in-situ monitoring of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) in single cells, providing critical tools for deciphering cellular oxidative stress mechanisms.

② Nanodiamond (ND) Biosensing and Rapid Detection Technologies: Due to their ultra-large specific surface area, abundant functional groups, and unique Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centers (which offer extreme fluorescence brightness and no photobleaching), NDs are easy to functionalize and highly biocompatible. They hold vast application prospects in electrochemical biosensing and lateral flow assays.

[2] Electrochemical Biosensing Materials and Devices
Electrochemical biosensing materials are a current research hotspot at the intersection of materials science and biomedicine. We aim to utilize electrochemical sensors for the rapid and sensitive detection of biomarkers, enabling early disease screening and dynamic monitoring. By modifying electrode surfaces (with nanomaterials, enzymes, antibodies, or DNA probes), the sensors can specifically recognize disease biomarkers (e.g., ctDNA, proteins, exosomes, metabolites). The binding events trigger measurable changes in current, potential, or impedance. This technology will drive future medical diagnostics towards precision and personalization. The team’s main research interests include:

① In-situ monitoring of intracellular ROS/RNS

② Electrochemical biosensing of nucleic acid molecules

③ Molecularly imprinted electrochemical biosensors

④ Multi-component nanozyme-based electrochemical biosensors

Google Scholar：https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=rt8_FUsAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate

Twitter：@ZejunDeng

- Selected panel of peer-reviewed publications：（*Corresponding author，#Co-first author）

[23] Z. Deng*, et al. Diamond and Related Materials, 2026, 166, 113708.

[22] Z. Deng*, et al. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2026, 14(20), 12290-12302. 

[21] Z. Deng*, et al. Electrochimica Acta, 2025, 543, 147554. 

[20] Z. Deng*, et al. Sensors, 2025, 25, 13, 4132. 

[19] F. Zhang, Z. Deng*, et al. A bibliometric and visualization analysis of electrochemical biosensors for early diagnosis of eye diseases. Frontiers in Medicine, 2025, 11, 1487981.

[18] L. Jiang,  Z. Deng*, et al. Revealing the synergistic effect in the BDD-based quadruple coupling system via active radical and non-radical species for efficient removal of refractory organic contaminant. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2025, 490, 144791.

[17] R. Yu, Z. Deng*, et al. Highly specific and sensitive quantification of uric acid in sweat using a dual boron-doped diamond electrode. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2025, 426, 137031. 

[16] X. Wang, Z. Deng*, et al. Three-dimensional porous SiC/BDD electrode with long-term robustness and enhanced electrochemical degradation performance for refractory organic pollutants. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2024, 156454. [15] H. Li, Z. Deng*,  et al. Constructing a Hydrophilic Microsensor for High-Antifouling Neurotransmitter Dopamine Sensing. ACS Sensors, 2024, 9, 4, 1785–1798. 

[14] Z. Jiao, Z. Deng*,  et al. Highly conductive diamond skeleton reinforced Cu-matrix composites for high-efficiency thermal management. Applied Surface Science, 2024, 645, 158829.  

[13] W.Yang, Z. Deng*,  et al. Co-generation of hydroxyl and sulfate radicals via homogeneous and heterogeneous bi-catalysis with the EO-PS-EF tri-coupling system for efficient removal of refractory organic pollutants. Water Research, 2023, 243, 120312. 

[12] Z. Deng*,  et al. Diamond for antifouling applications: A review. Carbon, 2022, 196, 923-939. 

[11] H. Li, Z. Deng*,  et al. Engineering a Au-NPs/Nafion modified nanoporous diamond sensing interface for reliable voltammetric quantification of dopamine in human serum. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2022, 446, 136927. 

[10] R. Zhu, Z. Deng*,  et al. A nanoporous diamond particle microelectrode and its surface modification. Electrochimica Acta, 2022, 430, 141015. 

[9] R. Zhu, Z. Deng*,  et al. Inconsistency of BDD reactivity assessed by ferri/ferro-cyanide redox system and electrocatalytic degradation capability. Functional Diamond, 2022, 2(1): 71-79.

[8] Z. Deng, Christophe Renault*. Unravelling the last milliseconds of an individual graphene nanoplatelet before impact with a Pt surface by bipolar electrochemistry. Chemical Science, 2021, 12, 12494-12500. 

[7] Z. Deng, Christophe Renault*. Detection of Individual Insulating Entities by Electrochemical Blocking. Current Opinion in Electrochemistry, 2021, 25, 100619. 

[6] Z. Deng, Fouad Maroun, Jeffrey E. Dick, and Christophe Renault*. Detection of individual Conducting Graphene Nanoplatelets by Electro-catalytic depression. Electrochimica Acta, 2020, 355, 136805. 

[5] Z. Deng, Ridha Elattar, Fouad Maroun, and Christophe Renault*. In Situ Measurement of the Size Distribution and Concentration of Insulating Particles by Electrochemical Collision on Hemispherical Ultramicroelectrodes. Analytical Chemistry, 2018, 90, 12923–12929. 

[4] Z. Deng, Qiuping Wei*, et al. Template-free synthesis of millimeter-scale carbon nanorod arrays on boron doped diamond with superior glucose sensing performance. Applied Surface Science, 2022, 572, 151468. 

[3] Z. Deng, Qiuping Wei*, et al. High-performance non-enzymatic glucose sensor based on nickel-microcrystalline graphite-boron doped diamond complex electrode. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2017, 242 825-834. 

[2] Fangmu Liu, Z. Deng*, Qiuping Wei*, et al. A highly stable microporous boron-doped diamond electrode etched by oxygen plasma for enhanced electrochemical ozone generation. Journal of environmental chemical engineering, 2021, 9, 106369. 

[1] Andrew D Pendergast, Z. Deng, Fouad Maroun, Christophe Renault, Jeffrey E Dick. Revealing dynamic rotation of single graphene nanoplatelets on electrified microinterfaces. ACS Nano, 2021, 15, 1, 1250–1258.