IEM Distinguished Lecturers Seminar: Micro-Origami Meets Batteries: Pushing Energy Storage Boundary below 1 mm2
Abstract
The accelerating miniaturization of electronics has created a pressing need for equally small yet powerful energy sources that can sustain autonomous microsystems and robotic devices at sub-millimeter scales. While most battery research has focused on large-scale systems—from consumer electronics to electric vehicles and the grid—the challenge of delivering energy to sub-millimeter devices remains largely unresolved. Zinc-based batteries present a compelling solution: they are stable in air, inherently safe, and seamlessly compatible with microfabrication processes, offering distinct advantages over conventional lithium systems when scaled down.
Despite these advantages, realizing high-energy-density storage below 1 mm2 has been limited by both materials constraints and architectural bottlenecks. Our research addresses these barriers by introducing micro-origami fabrication, where 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 photolithographable polymer electrolytes now extend cycling stability, opening a pathway to long-lived energy storage directly integrated on-chip.
Beyond storage, new chemistries—such as cathode-free concepts, halogen cathodes, and decoupled electrolytes—are beginning to expand the functional space of zinc microbatteries. In parallel, coupling these devices with micro-actuators demonstrates how zinc ion dynamics can be harnessed not only for powering but also for driving motion. Together, these developments point toward a new class of functional microsystems where actuation and energy storage are intertwined, providing a blueprint for the next generation of intelligent machines at sub-millimeter scales.
Bio
Minshen Zhu is a research group leader in the Research Center for Materials, Architectures, and Integration of Nanomembranes (MAIN) at TU Chemnitz, Germany. He received his Ph.D. in materials science from the City University of Hong Kong in 2017 and subsequently joined the Institute for Integrative Nanosciences at Leibniz IFW Dresden, where he led pioneering research in microscale energy storage. In 2021, Zhu was awarded a prestigious ERC Starting Grant to advance his work on dust-sized zinc batteries for on-chip integration. His interdisciplinary research focuses on developing innovative, lithography-compatible battery systems designed for seamless integration into intelligent microsystems and bioelectronic platforms. Zhu has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, holds an h-index of 55, and his work continues to push the frontiers of micro- and nanoscale energy storage toward transformative applications in robotics, electronics, and healthcare.
The accelerating miniaturization of electronics has created a pressing need for equally small yet powerful energy sources that can sustain autonomous microsystems and robotic devices at sub-millimeter scales. While most battery research has focused on large-scale systems—from consumer electronics to electric vehicles and the grid—the challenge of delivering energy to sub-millimeter devices remains largely unresolved. Zinc-based batteries present a compelling solution: they are stable in air, inherently safe, and seamlessly compatible with microfabrication processes, offering distinct advantages over conventional lithium systems when scaled down.
Despite these advantages, realizing high-energy-density storage below 1 mm2 has been limited by both materials constraints and architectural bottlenecks. Our research addresses these barriers by introducing micro-origami fabrication, where 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 photolithographable polymer electrolytes now extend cycling stability, opening a pathway to long-lived energy storage directly integrated on-chip.
Beyond storage, new chemistries—such as cathode-free concepts, halogen cathodes, and decoupled electrolytes—are beginning to expand the functional space of zinc microbatteries. In parallel, coupling these devices with micro-actuators demonstrates how zinc ion dynamics can be harnessed not only for powering but also for driving motion. Together, these developments point toward a new class of functional microsystems where actuation and energy storage are intertwined, providing a blueprint for the next generation of intelligent machines at sub-millimeter scales.
Bio
Minshen Zhu is a research group leader in the Research Center for Materials, Architectures, and Integration of Nanomembranes (MAIN) at TU Chemnitz, Germany. He received his Ph.D. in materials science from the City University of Hong Kong in 2017 and subsequently joined the Institute for Integrative Nanosciences at Leibniz IFW Dresden, where he led pioneering research in microscale energy storage. In 2021, Zhu was awarded a prestigious ERC Starting Grant to advance his work on dust-sized zinc batteries for on-chip integration. His interdisciplinary research focuses on developing innovative, lithography-compatible battery systems designed for seamless integration into intelligent microsystems and bioelectronic platforms. Zhu has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, holds an h-index of 55, and his work continues to push the frontiers of micro- and nanoscale energy storage toward transformative applications in robotics, electronics, and healthcare.
Practical information
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