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SUMMARY:IEM Distinguished Lecturers Seminar: Micro-Origami Meets Batteries
 : Pushing Energy Storage Boundary below 1 mm2
DTSTART:20251105T121500
DTEND:20251105T130000
DTSTAMP:20260526T065324Z
UID:fd2aa465d5172737d0b3b87a62387161dfbbefa92deb0a03df6fa9d9
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Dr Minshen Zhu\, TU Chemnitz\, Germany\nAbstract\nThe acceler
 ating miniaturization of electronics has created a pressing need for equal
 ly small yet powerful energy sources that can sustain autonomous microsyst
 ems and robotic devices at sub-millimeter scales. While most battery resea
 rch has focused on large-scale systems—from consumer electronics to elec
 tric vehicles and the grid—the challenge of delivering energy to sub-mil
 limeter devices remains largely unresolved. Zinc-based batteries present a
  compelling solution: they are stable in air\, inherently safe\, and seaml
 essly compatible with microfabrication processes\, offering distinct advan
 tages over conventional lithium systems when scaled down.\nDespite these a
 dvantages\, realizing high-energy-density storage below 1 mm2 has been lim
 ited by both materials constraints and architectural bottlenecks. Our rese
 arch addresses these barriers by introducing micro-origami fabrication\, w
 here thin-film layers are folded into compact Swiss-roll structures. This 
 strategy has enabled zinc batteries that shatter the footprint boundary of
  1 mm2\, achieving capacities above 1 mAh cm-2 and reaching into the deep-
 submillimeter regime (< 0.1 mm2). Equally important\, advances in photolit
 hographable polymer electrolytes now extend cycling stability\, opening a 
 pathway to long-lived energy storage directly integrated on-chip.\nBeyond 
 storage\, new chemistries—such as cathode-free concepts\, halogen cathod
 es\, and decoupled electrolytes—are beginning to expand the functional s
 pace of zinc microbatteries. In parallel\, coupling these devices with mic
 ro-actuators demonstrates how zinc ion dynamics can be harnessed not only 
 for powering but also for driving motion. Together\, these developments po
 int toward a new class of functional microsystems where actuation and ener
 gy storage are intertwined\, providing a blueprint for the next generation
  of intelligent machines at sub-millimeter scales.\n\nBio\nMinshen Zhu is 
 a research group leader in the Research Center for Materials\, Architectur
 es\, and Integration of Nanomembranes (MAIN) at TU Chemnitz\, Germany. He 
 received his Ph.D. in materials science from the City University of Hong K
 ong in 2017 and subsequently joined the Institute for Integrative Nanoscie
 nces at Leibniz IFW Dresden\, where he led pioneering research in microsca
 le energy storage. In 2021\, Zhu was awarded a prestigious ERC Starting Gr
 ant to advance his work on dust-sized zinc batteries for on-chip integrati
 on. His interdisciplinary research focuses on developing innovative\, lith
 ography-compatible battery systems designed for seamless integration into 
 intelligent microsystems and bioelectronic platforms. Zhu has authored mor
 e than 100 peer-reviewed publications\, holds an h-index of 55\, and his w
 ork continues to push the frontiers of micro- and nanoscale energy storage
  toward transformative applications in robotics\, electronics\, and health
 care.\n 
LOCATION:BM 5202 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==BM%205202 https://epfl.zoom.u
 s/j/69222849127
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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