A reason for the interest in multiferroics is that magnetic and electric orders do not simply exist side by side, but exhibit \"added value\" in the form of magnetoelectric interactions and functionalities between the ordered states. Likewise, in a ferroic material, regions with different orientation of the order parameter, the domains, do not simply exist side by side, but they exhibit new phases and properties in the domain walls. Because of their discontinuous, confined, and topological nature, domain walls exhibit functional states that are not possible in the bulk. Continuing this line of thought, one should expect domain walls in multiferroics to be a particularly rich source of novel phenomena. Here one must distinguish between (i) \"domain walls in multiferroics\", where only the ferroelectric (or magnetic) order is considered so that little is learned about the multiferroic state, and (ii) \"multiferroic domain walls\" where the ferroic phase coexistence of the wall itself is of interest. The latter are rarely studied, and I will discuss some of their intriguing features in my talk.
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\r\nBio: Professor Manfred Fiebig is known for his work in light-matter interaction in systems with strong electronic correlations. (Multi-) ferroics are of particular interest to him. After obtaining his doctoral degree in physics at the University of Dortmund, he worked at the University of Tokyo, the Max Born Institut Berlin, and the University of Bonn before he was appointed as Professor of Multifunctional Ferroic Materials in the Department of Materials at ETH Zurich in 2011. In 2021 he also became a member of the National Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), and he was elected as Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences and Literature | Mainz. Most recent distinctions include the 2022 APS Frank Isakson Prize for Optical Effects in Solids as well as the of the Stern Gerlach Medal in 2023, the highest distinction in Experimental Physics of the German Physical Society. He is one of the founders of the ETH Spinoff Company “3Wave Instruments”.
Polymers for people and planet - from solving problems in the lab to solving problems in the world
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Instructive soft biomaterials for tissue response by design: steering events at the biointerface","slug":"imx-colloquium-instructive-soft-biomaterials-for-t","event_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/imx-colloquium-instructive-soft-biomaterials-for-t","visual_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/32494/200x112.jpg","visual_large_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/32494/720x405.jpg","visual_maxsize_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/32494/max-size.jpg","lang":"en","start_date":"2026-05-04","end_date":"2026-05-04","start_time":"13:15:00","end_time":"14:15:00","description":"","image_description":"","creation_date":"2026-02-12T08:53:46","last_modification_date":"2026-02-24T08:31:46","link_label":"Website","link_url":"https://www.empa.ch/web/s404/dr.-katharina-maniura","canceled":"False","cancel_reason":"","place_and_room":"MXF 1","url_place_and_room":"https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==MXF%201","url_online_room":"","spoken_languages":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/spoken_languages/2/?format=json"],"speaker":"Prof. Katharina Maniura, EMPA","organizer":"Prof. Gregor Jotzu, Prof. Fabien Sorin & Prof. Esther Amstad","contact":"Prof. Gregor Jotzu, Prof. Fabien Sorin & Prof. Esther Amstad","is_internal":"False","theme":"","vulgarization":{"id":1,"fr_label":"Tout public","en_label":"General public"},"registration":{"id":3,"fr_label":"Entrée libre","en_label":"Free"},"keywords":"","file":null,"icalendar_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/export/119705/","category":{"id":1,"code":"CONF","fr_label":"Conférences - 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\r\nOrganized by EPFL School of Life Sciences, EPFL AI Center and the University of Bern, we aim to bring together clinicians, life scientists, and data scientists to test ideas, drive innovation, and tackle real-world challenges in healthcare and research.
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\r\nExplore the untapped potential of AI in life sciences and clinical research\r\n
Boiling is one of the most efficient modes of heat transfer, underlying many energy-intensive processes. Advancements in surface engineering have enabled significant enhancement of boiling heat transfer. However, performance gains rarely transfer across conditions or geometries. Two challenges illustrate why: bubble nucleation behavior is poorly reproducible; and increasing nucleating density to raise the heat transfer coefficient typically lowers the system’s maximum achievable heat flux. This talk presents our efforts in addressing each challenge by identifying the governing mechanism and designing for it.
\r\nIn the first part, micro-engineered silicon surfaces isolate two governing length scales: the hydrodynamic boundary layer thickness, which controls nucleation stability through inter-site shielding, and the bubble departure diameter, which governs vapor removal after full activation. We experimentally show that nucleation stability responds to the former length scale (~0.24 mm); heat transfer in the activated regime responds to the latter length scale (~2.5 mm).
\r\nThe second study addresses the high-heat-flux limit, where large vapor structures block liquid return. Capillary wicking through copper inverse opals (~10 μm pores) supplies liquid beneath the vapor. Crucially, the pore cavities are themselves the nucleation sites, so wicking capacity and nucleation density derive from the same structure. Further, CuO nanograss on the pore walls suppresses vapor penetration into the porous layer, enabling thicker structures and greater capillary head. The result is simultaneous enhancement of heat transfer coefficients and maximum heat fluxes.
\r\nTogether, the two works show that mechanism-targeted surface design yields gains that empirical topography optimization does not. They point toward a broader design principle: that nucleation and interfacial transport, treated as controllable rather than given, offer a promising path to engineering phase change processes across applications.
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\r\nhttps://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b20520?ref=pdf
\r\nhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-10209-w
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\r\nBio: Zhengmao Lu is a Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at EPFL. Prior to joining EPFL, Zhengmao was a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT with Prof. Jeffrey Grossman. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, both advised by Prof. Evelyn Wang. At EPFL, Zhengmao leads the Energy Transport Advances Laboratory (η-Lab), aiming to deepen our understanding of phase change phenomena and develop more sustainable energy and water technologies by optimizing interfacial transport. Zhengmao is a recipient of the ERC Starting Grant, MicroFIPS Outstanding Early Career Award, Keck Travel Award in Thermal Sciences, and the Outstanding Graduate Research Award from MIT Mechanical Engineering.
In a global investment landscape increasingly driven by technology, automation, and scale, EHL has chosen to anchor its Summit in what has always defined its community: the power of human experience.
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\r\nThe Investor Track on Day 2 (May 20th) is designed as a curated gateway into Europe’s most promising human-centric innovation — ventures that use technology to elevate people, not replace them. These startups operate at the intersection of Hospitality and service industries, including food&beverages, travel and tourism, luxury and retail, education, nutrition and wellbeing and more.
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\r\nThe audience will be a diverse coalition of seed and Series A investors, including business angel networks, VCs, corporate VCs, family offices, and individual investors who believe that the future will be shaped by purpose-driven technology that enhances human potential.
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\r\nFull agenda available here