Inaugural lecture: ‘Swiss Army Knife’ Droplets for Iontronic Biointerfaces
Event details
| Date | 29.10.2025 |
| Hour | 17:15 › 18:00 |
| Speaker | Prof. Yujia Zhang |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Inaugural lectures - Honorary Lecture |
| Event Language | English |
Abstract
Hydrogel iontronic devices can emulate biological functions and communicate with living matter. However, the fabrication of miniature, soft iontronic devices according to modular designs has not been achieved. In the lecture, I will discuss the use of surfactant-supported assembly of freestanding microscale hydrogel droplets, termed dropletronics, to construct various ionic power sources, iontronic modules, circuits and biointerfaces. The tiny, versatile dropletronic devices enable a variety of biomedical applications, including modulation of brain organoids, defibrillation and pacing of mouse hearts, and recording electrophysiological signals from sheets of human cardiomyocytes. I will also introduce some ongoing projects in the group and conclude by summarising the major challenges in the field and future directions.
Biography
Yujia Zhang is a Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Electrical and Microengineering at the School of Engineering at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). He has led the Laboratory for Bio-Iontronics (BION) since January 2025. A major interest of his laboratory is the development of iontronic biointerfaces and hybrid intelligent systems for biomedical detection and treatment. Recently, he has pioneered the area of dropletronics, in which networks of microscale soft droplets function as versatile bioiontronic/bioelectronic devices.
Prior to his appointment, he obtained his B.Sc. in electronics engineering from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2016. Later, he completed his PhD in biomedical engineering and MEMS/NEMS technology at the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, followed by one year as a visiting PhD at Stony Brook University. In 2021, Yujia joined the Bayley group and later became an early-career research fellow hosted in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Oxford.
He has received several awards so far:
References
Hydrogel iontronic devices can emulate biological functions and communicate with living matter. However, the fabrication of miniature, soft iontronic devices according to modular designs has not been achieved. In the lecture, I will discuss the use of surfactant-supported assembly of freestanding microscale hydrogel droplets, termed dropletronics, to construct various ionic power sources, iontronic modules, circuits and biointerfaces. The tiny, versatile dropletronic devices enable a variety of biomedical applications, including modulation of brain organoids, defibrillation and pacing of mouse hearts, and recording electrophysiological signals from sheets of human cardiomyocytes. I will also introduce some ongoing projects in the group and conclude by summarising the major challenges in the field and future directions.
Biography
Yujia Zhang is a Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Electrical and Microengineering at the School of Engineering at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). He has led the Laboratory for Bio-Iontronics (BION) since January 2025. A major interest of his laboratory is the development of iontronic biointerfaces and hybrid intelligent systems for biomedical detection and treatment. Recently, he has pioneered the area of dropletronics, in which networks of microscale soft droplets function as versatile bioiontronic/bioelectronic devices.
Prior to his appointment, he obtained his B.Sc. in electronics engineering from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2016. Later, he completed his PhD in biomedical engineering and MEMS/NEMS technology at the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, followed by one year as a visiting PhD at Stony Brook University. In 2021, Yujia joined the Bayley group and later became an early-career research fellow hosted in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Oxford.
He has received several awards so far:
- Early-career Research Scientist Representative, UK Parliamentary & Scientific Committee (2023);
- Excellent Doctoral Dissertation, Chinese Academy of Sciences (2021);
- Special Prize of President Scholarship for Postgraduate Students, Chinese Academy of Sciences (2020);
References
- Zhang Y, Tan C, Toepfer C, et al., Microscale Droplet Assembly Enables Biocompatible Multifunctional Modular Iontronics. Science: 2024, 386,1024-1030.
- Zhang Y, Sun T, Yang X, et al., A Microscale Soft Lithium-ion Battery for Tissue Stimulation. Nature Chemical Engineering: 2024, 1, 691–701.
- Liu J, Qing Y, Zhou L, et al., Enzyme-Enabled Droplet Biobattery for Powering Synthetic. Angewandte Chemie International Edition: 2024, 63, e202408665. Cover article.
- Zhang Y, Riexinger J, Yang X, et al., A microscale soft ionic power source modulates neuronal network activity. Nature: 2023, 620, 1001–1006.
- Zhang Y and Tao TH, Skin-Friendly Electronics for Acquiring Human Physiological Signatures. Advanced Materials: 2019, 31, 1905767.
Links
Practical information
- General public
- Registration required
Organizer
- Faculté STI – Décanat & Institut IEM
Contact
- Suzanne Manné