Events

Date: 29 September 2023

Talk: Liquid Metals for Soft and Stretchable Devices

Speaker: Michael D. Dickey

Abstract

Liquid metals? Usually the term evokes thoughts of mercury (toxic!) or the Terminator (a villain!). Yet, gallium-based liquid metals are often overlooked despite their remarkable properties: melting points below room temperature, water-like viscosity, low-toxicity, and effectively zero vapor pressure (they do not evaporate).  They also have, by far, the largest interfacial tension of any liquid at room temperature. Normally small volumes of liquids with large tension form spherical or hemi-spherical structures to minimize surface energy.  Yet, these liquid metals can be patterned into non-spherical shapes (cones, wires, antennas) due to a thin, oxide skin that forms rapidly on its surface.  This talk will describe efforts in our research group to harness this oxide to pattern and manipulate metal into useful shapes—such as circuits and particles—that are useful for applications that call for soft and deformable metallic features.  Because it is a liquid, it is possible to pattern the metal in unique ways, such as injection or direct-write 3D printing at room temperature to form ultra-stretchable wires, self-healing circuits, and soft logic devices (the latter of which perform logic without semiconductors).  Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of liquid metals it the ability to use interfacial electrochemistry chemistry to remove / deposit the oxide to manipulate the surface tension of the metal over unprecedented ranges (from the largest tension of any known liquid to near zero!). This allows manipulating the shape and position of the metal for shape reconfigurable devices.  This work has implications for soft and stretchable electronics; that is, devices with desirable mechanical properties for human-machine interfacing, soft robotics, and wearable electronics.

 Biography

Michael Dickey is the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Professor in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at NC State University. He received a BS in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology (1999) and a PhD from the University of Texas (2006) under the guidance of Professor Grant Willson. From 2006-2008 he was a post-doctoral fellow in the lab of Professor George Whitesides at Harvard University.  He completed a sabbatical at Microsoft in 2016 and EPFL in 2023.  Michael’s research interests include soft matter (liquid metals, gels, polymers) for soft and stretchable devices (electronics, energy harvesters, textiles, and soft robotics).

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Date: 26 September 2023

Talk 1: Low-loss integrated photonics in the longwave infrared

Speaker: Charlie Mace

Abstract

The portion of the electromagnetic spectrum known as the longwave infrared (LWIR) region, with a wavelength range between 6 and 14 μm, is commonly referred to as the “molecular fingerprint region.” This is attributed to its strong intramolecular fundamental absorption. Moreover, the LWIR region conveniently aligns with the second atmospheric window, rendering it exceptionally well-suited for tasks like chemical identification and environmental monitoring. Notably, at standard room temperature, blackbody emission predominantly occurs within the LWIR wavelengths, imparting invaluable significance to LWIR photonics in various applications, including surveillance, search and rescue missions, and night vision. In my talk, I will present our recent advancements in achieving an optical loss as low as 0.5 dB/cm at 8 µm based on native Ge platform, and the opportunity for achieving broadband microcomb generation in the second atmospheric window.

Biography

Dr. Dingding Ren is a postdoctoral researcher at TU Deflt, the Netherlands. He was a full-time research faculty from 2020 to 2023 in the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), running a three-year research project funded by the Research Council of Norway to develop a low-loss photonic platform in the LWIR. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Electronics and Telecommunications in NTNU with professors Bjørn-Ove Fimland and Helge Weman in 2017. Since 2019, he was a postdoc scientist at professor David Burghoff’s group at the University of Notre Dame.

Talk 2: Integrated silicon photonics with on-chip lasers

Speaker: Yating Wan

Abstract

Integrated Si photonics has sparked a significant ramp-up of investment in both academia and industry as a scalable, power-efficient, and eco-friendly solution. At the heart of this platform is the light source, which has been the focus of research extensively. This talk tries to tackle this issue from two perspectives: monolithic integration based on direct epitaxial growth and heterogeneous integration based on wafer bonding. In monolithic integration, significant improvements in III-V/Si epitaxy have pushed quantum dot technology to the frontiers of Si photonics. Meanwhile, a heterogeneous integration platform is showing very promising results, where a synergistic relationship between the III-V and Si gives rise to superior devices exceeding what is achievable with purely III-V devices. We will talk about the current state of application-driven on-chip silicon lasers. We expect to inspire further development in incorporating photonic integrated circuits with on-chip lasers for substantial performance gains, green solutions, and mass production.

Biography

Dr. Yating Wan is an Assistant Professor at KAUST. Before that, she worked in Prof. John Bower’s group at UCSB from 2017-2022 and played a key role in Intel’s project onHeterogeneously Integrated Quantum Dot Lasers on Silicon. Her research interests are in Si Photonics with special emphasis on integration of on-chip light sources for optical computing. She has published more than 60 peer-reviewed research papers, including 23 first-author journals, 6 corresponding-author journals, 12 first-author conference papers, and 10 first-author journal covers. She served as an associate guest editor for JSTQE, JQE, committee member of 2022 & 2023 CLEO, IPR, and a referee for more than 20 peer-reviewed journals in IEEE, OSA, and the Nature Publishing Group. She received 2016-17 School of Engineering PhD Research Excellence Award in HKUST, 2018 PIERS Young Scientist Award, 2018 Rising Stars Women in Engineering Asia, 2020 Rising Stars 2020 Women in EECS, 2021 OGC Best Young Scientist Award, 2021 CLEO Tingye Li Innovation Prize, and 2022 Rising Stars of Light by Light: Science & Applications.

Talk 3: Nanowire ultraviolet photonic devices – A new look

Speaker: Songrui Zhao

Abstract

Semiconductor ultraviolet (UV) light sources are important for a wide range of applications including surface and air disinfections. The past decade has witnessed exciting process in developing semiconductor UV light sources, such as lasing under direct electrical current injection down to sub-240 nm using group-III nitride semiconductor nanowires. Despite of the progress with group-III nitride nanowires, what would be the next? In this talk, I will describe some possible new directions of using group-III nitride nanowires for UV light emitters. I will first discuss surface emitting UV lasers using nanowire photonic crystal structures (NPC) grown with low-temperature selective area epitaxy. Compared to lasing with random optical cavities, lasing with photonic crystal cavities is much controllable. Remarkably, using NPC, an ultralow lasing threshold of only 7 kW/cm² is achieved in the UV range, which is orders of magnitude lower compared to conventional UV vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs). I will further show that, by using nanowires as an intermediate layer, high quality aluminum nitride (AlN) on silicon (Si) template can be achieved, which further leads to vertically injected deep UV light-emitting diodes (LEDs) down to 247 nm, providing a viable path to the extremely challenging, fully vertical semiconductor deep UV LEDs. Such AlN on Si template could also potentially allow applications beyond photonic devices.

Biography

Dr. Zhao is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McGill University since 2018. His research interests include molecular beam epitaxy of III-nitride nanostructures and their applications to photonic devices. He has published more than 90 peer-reviewed journal papers (citation over 4,800; h-index 37), and near 90 conference presentations (including talks he gave, his students gave, and the talks he or his group made significant contribution to the research), as well as a few book chapters. He has received a number of awards, including molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) Conference Outstanding Paper Awards multiple times in his student times, the International Conference on MBE Young Investigator Award in 2018 (conferred every two years with one candidate), and the North American MBE Young Investigator Award in 2022 (conferred every year with one candidate).

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Date: 22 September 2023

Talk : Optical quantum vector remote sensing mechanism based on aerospace means

Speaker: Lei Yan

Abstract

The content of the report is as follows: Remote sensing is based on the interaction between electromagnetic light waves and ground objects, with the help of aerospace instruments to obtain digital image interpretation of ground objects. In view of the conventional scalar remote sensing problem, the law of the polarization field in the solar sky is found, puts forward the concept of vector remote sensing, leads the establishment of the basic theory and benchmark system of light quantum horizontal vector remote sensing application, and supports the realization of the full information acquisition and fidelity of physical and chemical molecules of remote sensing ground objects; The physical breakpoint of sensor imaging and mathematical bottleneck of image processing can be solved by using high-resolution ground object vector, and the system error of scalar remote sensing can be eliminated to realize the high-precision technical goal of vector remote sensing. The object-means-processing integrated efficient control method of high-resolution vector remote sensing was established, Built a real-time dynamic unmanned aviation remote sensing system, which promoted the vector remote sensing industry from scratch and international leadership.

Biography

Professor, Dr. Lei YAN, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, doctoral supervisor. Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, Chairman of the Expert Steering Committee of the International Journal of Remote Sensing. He successively served as director of Beijing Key Laboratory of Spatial Information Integration and Its Engineering Applications and deputy director of Academic Committee. It has won 18 awards, including the second prize of National Technical Invention, Geneva International Invention Exhibition Gold Medal and Jury Special Commendation Gold Medal, the first prize of Beijing Technological Invention Award in 2019, the 18th China Patent Excellence Award, the first prize of Beijing Science and Technology Award (Natural Science category) in 2012 and other awards in China. As the chairman, he have established an industry standard and 3 IEEE international standards for vector remote sensing. More than 510 research papers have been published in these fields, and more than 150 have been included in SCI/EI. Obtained more than 20 invention patents (the first position). He has published 10 monographs. The economic benefit is 8.2 billion RMB.

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Date: 19 September 2023

Talk 1: Don’t fake it until you can make it: Device prototyping as an integral part of translational research

Speaker: Charlie Mace

Abstract

An ultimate goal of applied or translational research is to have a measurable impact on the real world. For those in the medical device community—inclusive of makers of diagnostics, sensors, and wearables—this goal requires meeting performance metrics related to precision, usability, and affordability, among others. These objectives have a vital and inseparable companion for academics, which is to prioritize training the next generation of scientists, engineers, critical thinkers, and innovators. While academic labs cannot and should not pursue commercialization efforts independently, efforts to de-risk the potential for new ideas, where the path from invention to application results in trainees leading concepts from prototype stage through validation settings outside the laboratory, hold significant value. In this presentation, I will highlight our group’s efforts to (i) establish paper-based microfluidic devices a low-cost platform to support point-of-care diagnostics and patient-centric microsampling of blood, (ii) collaborate with various stakeholders to iterate prototypes to improve performance and usability, and (iii) demonstrate the performance of prototypes in clinical settings. Ultimately, we demonstrate the benefit of this approach in applications targeting HIV and malaria.

Biography

Charlie Mace is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Tufts University. Charlie earned his BS in Physics from Le Moyne College in 2003, followed by an MS (2006) and Ph.D. (2008) in Biophysics from the University of Rochester while conducting research in the laboratory of Prof. Benjamin Miller. He was then a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Prof. George Whitesides at Harvard University from 2008–2011. Prior to joining the faculty at Tufts in 2013, Charlie was a senior scientist at Diagnostics For All, a non-profit company with a mission to develop low-cost devices that reduced global disparities in access to diagnostics. At Tufts, the Mace Lab similarly focuses on developing simple yet innovative medical devices that will lead to increased access to healthcare. Their efforts aim to bridge technology development with clinical application, and their approaches include point-of-care diagnostics and patient-centric microsampling devices designed using paper-based microfluidics. Charlie was named an Emerging Investigator by Analytical Methods, a Rising Star and Top Expert by Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, and he was a recipient of a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation.

Talk 2: Deformation-Induced Modification of Phase Transformation Pathways in Metallic Systems

Speaker: Bharat Gwalani

Abstract

Deformation-induced microstructural modification is utilized by several high-strain processing methods such as rolling, friction-stir-based processing, welding, or additive manufacturing. Consistent distribution of high density of crystallographic defects allows heterogeneous nucleation sites for nano-scale precipitation of intermetallic phases and often results in high-performing nanostructured alloys. The state of high defect density in the material also makes them highly susceptible to reactive gases, such as oxygen, present in the atmosphere. Atomic-scale studies on understanding deformation-induced defect formation and modes of diffusion, especially in the presence of reactive gases, are limited.

Investigation of fundamental mechanisms related to phase stability/transformations, and oxidation of metals and alloys under extended strain deformation processing, have been the core of my research in the past several years. This seminar will present insights into (a) the influence of high-strain deformation in modifying transformation pathways; (b) adding the compositional and phase complexity to the microstructural template to tailor the physical property; (c) integrating in-situ and ex-situ experimental characterization tools and using combinatorial approaches at multiple lengths and time scales to understand the effect defect density, thermal activation and environment on microstructural changes.

The experimentally observed variations in the transformation pathway are rationalized via the competition between the thermodynamic driving force and activation barrier for second-phase nucleation, coupled with the kinetics of the process. The microstructural variations that result from different phase transformation pathways are used to tune the multifunctionality of materials.

Biography

Dr. Bharat Gwalani is an Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at North Carolina State University. He received his Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) degree from the National Institute of Technology, Jaipur India in 2010, and his Ph.D. from the University of North Texas in 2017, both in Materials Science and Engineering. After his B.E. he worked in the steel industry for three years. Before starting at NC State in 2022, in 2019 Gwalani joined the DOE’s office of science’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and served as a senior materials scientist. His research focuses on a mechanistic understanding of material vulnerabilities under extreme environments, deformation-assisted modification of phase transformation pathways, and the development and characterization of advanced materials.

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Date: 15 September 2023

Talk 1: Green reactions using liquid metals

Speaker: Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh

Abstract

Low-melting-point liquid metals possess less studied chemistry and physics. While these molten metals offer extraordinary potential for catalysis and enabling low-energy reactions, our understanding of their capabilities remains relatively rudimentary, and their primary applications are largely constrained to specific fields. This presentation introduces innovative concepts showcasing the contributions of liquid metals to the realm of eco-friendly reactions and catalysis. The discussion encompasses the synergistic fusion of metallurgy with liquid metals to harness distinctive advantages for creating highly reactive metallic compounds in liquid states. Emphasis is placed on the utilisation of alloying, capitalising on interfacial layering, surface competition or crystallisation of added components, or exploiting the active surface of liquid metals as reaction media. The presentation explores how liquid metals can serve as a platform for generating highly reactive species, facilitating reactions at reduced energy levels, and functioning as electrochemical catalysts and converters. Furthermore, the potential transformative impact of liquid metal systems in the creation of solid catalysts and dynamic reconfiguration of surfaces for liquid catalysis, driven by high entropy, is discussed. All of these aspects are poised to significantly influence future advancements in chemical and environmental technologies.

Biography

Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh is a Professor and Head of School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Sydney. He is also one of the Australian Research Council Laureate Fellows of 2018. Professor Kalantar-Zadeh was a professor of Chemical Engineering at UNSW, and prior to that a Professor of Electronic Engineering at RMIT, Australia. Professor Kalantar-Zadeh is involved in research in the fields of analytical chemistry, materials sciences, gastroenterology, electronics and sensors, and has co-authored of >500 highly cited scientific papers. He is a member of the editorial boards of journals including ACS Applied Nano Materials (associate editor), ACS Sensors, Advanced Materials Technologies, Nanoscale, Applied Surface Science and ACS Nano. Professor Kalantar-Zadeh is best known for his works on ingestible sensors, liquid metals and two-dimensional semiconductors. He led his group to the invention of an ingestible chemical sensor: human gas sensing capsule, one of the breakthroughs in the field of medical devices. Professor Kalantar-Zadeh has received several international awards for his scientific contributions including the 2017 IEEE Sensor Council Achievement, 2018 American Chemical Society Advances in Measurement Science Lectureship awards and 2020 Robert Boyle Prize of Royal Society of Chemistry. 

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Date: 12 September 2023

Talk 1: Embryonic sac embryoid using human pluripotent stem cells

Speaker: Yi Zheng

Abstract

Early human embryonic development involves extensive lineage diversification, cell-fate specification, and tissue patterning. Despite its basic and clinical importance, early human embryonic development remains relatively unexplained owing to interspecies divergence and limited accessibility to human embryo samples. Stem cell-derived, embryo-like structures (or embryoids) allowing studies of early development without using natural embryos can potentially help fill the knowledge gap. However, most existing human embryoid systems rely on spontaneous organization and differentiation in uncontrolled environments without desired efficiency and reproducibility for mechanistic studies or clinical applications. Herein, we developed a microfluidic post-implantation amniotic sac embryoid (μPASE) platform which recapitulates landmarks of the development of the epiblast and amniotic ectoderm parts of the conceptus in a highly controllable and scalable fashion, including lumenogenesis of the epiblast and the resultant pro-amniotic cavity, formation of a bipolar embryonic sac, and specification of primordial germ cells and primitive streak cells. Transcriptome at the single-cell level of μPASE was profiled at different time points to reveal lineage diversification roadmaps of early human development. Given its controllability and scalability, μPASE provides a powerful experimental system to advance knowledge of human embryology and reproduction. μPASE could assist in the rational design of stem cell differentiation protocols for disease modeling and cell therapy, and in high-throughput drug and toxicity screens to prevent pregnancy failure and congenital disorders.

Biography

Yi Zheng is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering at Syracuse University, USA. He received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto in 2014, and his Bachelor’s degree from Zhejiang University in 2007. Before he joined Syracuse University, he was a postdoctoral fellow and a research scientist at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.  He has published over 30 papers in numerous high-impact journals, including Nature, Cell Stem Cells, Nature Materials, Nature Communications, Science Advances, etc. His research group currently focuses on the development sophisticated engineering approaches to achieve controllable in vitro platforms that recapitulate key developmental events during human embryo development, and application of these platforms for new discoveries in human development, disease etiology and regenerative medicine. His researches have been highlighted in Nature, Nature News, MIT Technology Review, NPR, BBC, Chemical & Engineering News, etc. He is a recipient of Robert M. Caddell Memorial Award, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postdoctoral Fellowship and Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Students Abroad.

Talk 2: Engineer Human Pluripotent Stem Cells for Targeted Immunotherapy

Speaker: Xiaoping Bao

Abstract

Cancer is a major threat for humans worldwide, with over 18 million new cases and 9.6 million cancer-related deaths in 2022. Although most common cancer treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, unsatisfactory cure rates require new therapeutic approaches. Recently, adoptive cellular immunotherapies with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) engineered T and natural killer (NK) cells have shown impressive clinical responses in patients with various blood and solid cancers. However, current clinical practices are limited by the need of large numbers of healthy immune cells, resistance to gene editing, lack of in vivo persistence, and a burdensome manufacturing strategy that requires donor cell extraction, modulation, expansion, and re-introduction per each patient. The ability to generate universally histocompatible and genetically-enhanced immune cells from continuously renewable human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) lines offers the potential to develop a true off-the-shelf cellular immunotherapy. While functional CAR-T and NK cells have been successfully derived from hPSCs, a significant gap remains in the scalability, time-consuming (5 or more weeks), purity and robustness of the differentiation methods due to the cumbersome use of serum, and/or feeder cells, which will incur potential risk for contamination and may cause batch-dependency in the treatment. Our lab has developed a novel, chemically-defined platform for robust production of CAR-T and CAR-NK cells from hPSCs. In addition, our group is the first to generate CAR-neutrophils from hPSCs and demonstrated their application in targeted cancer immunotherapy.

Biography

Xiaoping Bao is currently the William K. Luckow Assistant Professor in the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering at Purdue University, USA. He received his Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 2016, and his Bachelor’s degree from Tsinghua University in 2011. From 2016 to 2018, he was a postdoctoral fellow in Chemical Engineering at the University of California Berkeley. He has published over 50 papers in numerous high-impact journals, including Nature Methods, Nature Biomedical Engineering, Nature Communications, Science Advances, Advanced Materials, Biomaterials, Cell Reports, etc. His research group currently focuses on stem cell bioengineering and immunoengineering. He was recent awardees of Young Investigator Award 2022 of Cells Tissues Organs Journal, 2023 BMES-CMBE Rising Star Junior Faculty Award, NSF CAREER Award, NIH Stephen Katz Early Stage Investigator Award, Showalter Research Trust Young Investigator Award, and Purdue Cancer Center Robbers New Investigator Award, etc.

Talk 3: Modeling Cardiovascular Development and Disease with Human Pluripotent Stem Cells in 2D and 3D Models

Speaker: Huaxiao “Adam” Yang

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading disease in the world, and a better understanding of cardiomyopathies benefits us in finding better therapies and treatments. Due to the species difference between human and animal models and also the limited resources of human heart samples, in vitro human cardiac models that emulate the structure and function of the human heart are urgently needed to study the pathogenesis of CVDs at both cellular and molecular levels. To date, the human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs)-derived cardiovascular cells have shown great promise in modeling human cardiac development and disease in the culture dishes, however, there are a number of challenges impeding hPSC-derived cardiovascular cells from further biomedical applications: cardiac immaturity in function and structure, lack of cell-cell interactions, and missing key cardiovascular cell types (e.g., endothelial cells, fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells, etc). To solve these challenges, I will introduce the multiscale-engineered cardiac constructs established in my lab with hPSC-derived cardiovascular cells from 2D to 3D to enhance the cardiac maturity in sarcomere structure, calcium transient, and T-Tubules formation, understand the cardiac dysfunction of hypertrophied cardiomyopathy with varied sarcomere mutations, and differentiate vascularized cardiac tissue for modeling early cardiovascular development and disease.

Biography

Dr. Huaxiao “Adam” Yang is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas in the Biomedical Engineering Department. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and a minor in biological science from Wuhan University in 2007. He obtained his Master’s degree in Macromolecular Science from Fudan University in 2010. He achieved his Ph.D. in Bioengineering at Clemson University, US in 2015. And then Dr. Yang worked as a postdoctoral fellow from 2015 to 2020 at the Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine. Since Dr. Yang joined UNT in 2020, his research has focused on applying cutting-edge multiscale biomedical engineering tools and hPSC technologies to model, understand, and treat human cardiovascular diseases, such as myocardial infarction, familial cardiomyopathies, congenital heart diseases, and cardiovascular toxicity. He has published over 40 peer-reviewed papers, including European Heart Journal, Nature Cardiovascular Research, Circulation, Cardiovascular Research, PNAS, Nature Communications, Developmental Cell, Advanced Functional Materials, ACS Nano, Biofabrications, Stem Cells, ACS AMI etc, 1 US/international patent, and 1 pending patent. Dr. Yang was also an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellow from 2018 to 2020, a UNT-Washington DC Fellow in 2021, a mentee of the AHA-BCVS mentorship program in 2023, and a UNT-DEEN Fellow (NSF HSI) in 2023. Recently his lab has been supported by NIH, the Harry S. Moss Heart Trust, and the UNT Research Seed Grant.

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Date: 8 September 2023

Talk: Molecular Electronics: An Electrostatic Perspective

Speaker: Ayelet Vilan

Abstract

Our digital era is dominated by information coded using (mostly) current of electrons through inorganic, crystalline materials. Biology on the other hand, encodes information via electrostatic potential across molecular membranes. The magnitude of molecular electrostatic potential is unprecedented in standard inorganic electronic materials. For example, aligning a moderate molecular dipole in an array, as in self-assembled monolayer, is equivalent to a giant electric field (～1 GV/m) that will lead of dielectric break down of most inorganic (oxides) insulators. Research on molecular electronics mainly follows the first approach, exploring the sensitivity of current to the quantized nature of molecules. I would like to suggest a complementary perspective, which is focused on elucidating and manipulating the potential profile along the current path. My talk will overview various electrostatic aspects of molecular monolayers, from modifiers of potential barrier between bulk materials, via charge-balance at organic / inorganic interface and up to deducing potential profiles from analysis of experimentally-measured current-voltage curves. These concepts could find relevance to diverse fields from renewable energy materials to bio-sensors.

Biography

Dr. Ayelet Vilan studies molecular electronics at the Weizmann Institute of Science, in Israel. Her Ph.D. thesis (Materials and Interfaces department at the Weizmann Institute of Science, 2002) explores dipolar monolayers at the Au/GaAs surface. After a post-doctoral study at Philips Research (Eindhoven), she returned to the Weizmann institute in 2005. She worked as a visiting scientist in Texas A&M (2013-4). Her research interests encompass self-assembled monolayers, construction of molecular junctions and chemical and physical surface characterization. She focuses on the development of empirical tools for the interpretation and the quantification of charge transport across molecular junctions, in either single molecule or monolayer configurations.

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Date: 5 September 2023

Talk 1: Cell membranes on chip

Speaker: Anna-Maria Pappa

Abstract

The development of medical devices that comply with the soft mechanics of biological systems at different length and complexity levels is highly desirable. With the emergence of conducting polymers exciting directions opened up in bioelectronics research, bridging the gap between traditional electronics and biology. With the ultimate goal of fully integrated devices, organic bioelectronic technologies have been heavily explored the past decade resulting in novel materials/device configurations. Multiplexing capability, ability to adopt to complex performance requirements in biological fluids, sensitivity, stability, literal flexibility and compatibility with large-area processes are only some of the merits of this technology for biomedical applications. A recent example of a bio-integrated electronic device, the BiOET, is based on polymeric semiconductor technology and is fabricated using nano/micro-fabrication methods in conjunction with synthetic biology approaches to incorporate hierarchically organized biological models of the cell membrane. Despite their significance, cell membranes are still an underexplored target for studying the mechanisms of diseases or drug therapies. Cell-free commercially available technologies for cell membrane studies have been limited to synthetic membranes that lack the inherent complexity found in the membrane of the cell. In this talk I will describe a method to create native cell membranes, using vesicles derived from live cells, on top of conducting polymer- based microfabricated electrodes and transistors. The activity of transmembrane proteins in response to different stimuli can be electrically monitored, offering a direct means to characterize drug toxicity or potency at the critical first contact point: membrane interaction.

Biography

Anna-Maria Pappa is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Khalifa University and visiting scholar at Cambridge University. Prior to this, she was the Oppenheimer Research fellow at Cambridge University and the Maundslay-Butler Fellow at Pembroke College. She received her PhD in Bioelectronics in 2017 from Ecole des Mines de St Etienne. Anna-Maria is currently leading the Bioelectronics and Biosystems on chip (LAB-BBC) group focusing on developing cutting edge technologies for next generation miniaturized sensors with applications in healthcare and environmental science. She is an associate editor in Scientific Reports, Frontiers in Electronics and serves the early career editorial board of Applied Physics Letters. Anna-Maria has received several awards for her research including the L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science award, being listed in the Innovators under 35 MIT technology review and several awards in the area of entrepreneurship and innovation with a recent example the WTI-resilience challenge award in KAUST.

Talk 2: Macromolecular Bioelectronics

Speaker: Helen Tran

Abstract

Next-generation electronics will autonomously respond to local stimuli and be seamlessly integrated with the human body, opening the doors for opportunities in environmental monitoring, advanced consumer products, and health diagnostics for personalized therapy. For example, biodegradable electronics promise to accelerate the integration of electronics with health care by obviating the need for costly device-recovery surgeries that increase infection risk. Moreover, the environmentally critical problem of discarded electronic waste would be relieved. The underpinning of such next-generation electronics is the development of new materials with a wide suite of functional properties beyond our current toolkit. Organic polymers are a natural bridge between electronics and soft matter, where the vast chemical design space allows tunability of electronic, mechanical, and transient properties. Our research group leverages the rich palette of polymer chemistry to design new materials encoded with information for self-assembly, degradability, and electronic transport. In this talk, I will share an overview or projects underway in our group.

Biography

Dr. Tran is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto in the Department of Chemistry (co-appointed in the Department of Chemical Engineering). She was an Intelligence Community postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University under the mentorship of Prof. Zhenan Bao in the Chemical Engineering Department, where she worked on stretchable and biodegradable electronics. She received her BS in Chemistry with a minor in Chemical Engineering from the University of California—Berkeley in 2009, conducting undergraduate research with Prof. Tsu-Jae King Liu (Electrical Engineering, Berkeley). In the two subsequent years, Dr. Tran was a post-baccalaureate fellow and Scientific Engineering Assistant in Dr. Ronald Zuckermann’s research group at the Molecular Foundry at Berkeley National Labs, exploring the self-assembly of biomimetic polymers into 2D nanosheets. She completed her PhD at Columbia University in 2016 under the supervision of Prof. Luis Campos as a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate fellow, broadly investigating hierarchical ordering and periodic patterning in block copolymer systems. To date, she has been awarded the Agilent Cary Recognition for Scientific Innovation Award, 2022 C&EN Talented 12, the Dorothy Shoichet Women Faculty in Science Award of Excellence, International Center for Materials Research fellowship, and George Pegram Award. Also, she was selected as an AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador for her outreach endeavors, leading to media opportunities such as being featured on the CBS TV show Mission Unstoppable and on the Girl Scouts Cadette Badge Workbook for Exploring STEM Careers. Dr. Tran has been committed to scientific outreach, endorses communication among interdisciplinary disciplines, and continually strives to become a supportive mentor.

Talk 3: Bioadhesive and stretchable polymer electronics for intimate and stable biointerfaces

Speaker: Sihong Wang

Abstract

The use of bioelectronic devices for acquiring biological information and delivering therapeutic interventions relies on direct contact with soft bio-tissues. To ensure high-quality signal transductions, the interfaces between bioelectronic devices and bio-tissues must combine signal amplification with stable and conformable contact. Semiconductor-based transistors (e.g., organic electrochemical transistors) have been developed as one of the most advanced technologies for high-performance bio-sensing. However, the rigid mechanical properties and the lack of tissue/skin adhesion from transistors largely prevent the formation of such intimate and long-term stable bio-interfaces. In this talk, I will introduce our material and device designs for introducing three highly important biomimetic properties onto transistor-based biosensors—stretchability, tissue-like softness, and bioadhesive properties. Our rationale designs from the material to the device level allow the realization of these properties with state-of-the-art electrical performance. I will also introduce the strategies and advantages of using these new biomimetic properties in bioelectrical and biochemical sensing.

Biography

Sihong Wang is an Assistant Professor in the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago, USA. He received his Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2014, and his Bachelor’s degree from Tsinghua University in 2009. From 2015 to 2018, he was a postdoctoral fellow in Chemical Engineering at Stanford University. He has published over 70 papers in numerous high-impact journals, including Science, Nature, Nature Materials, Nature Electronics, Matter, Nature Communications, Science Advances, Advanced Materials, Energy & Environmental Science, etc. His research group currently focuses on soft polymeric bioelectronic materials and devices as the new generation of technology for biomedical studies and practices. As of Aug. 2023, his research has been cited more than 22,600 times and he has an H-index of 61. He was recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate Analytics from 2020 to 2022, and was awarded the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, NSF CAREER Award, Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Award, MIT Technology Review 35 Innovators Under 35 (TR35 Global List), Advanced Materials Rising Star Award, ACS PMSE Early-Stage Investigator Award, iCANX Young Scientist Award, MRS Graduate Student Award, Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Students Abroad, Top 10 Breakthroughs of 2012 by Physics World, etc.

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Date: 1 September 2023

Talk 1: Revolutionizing Cancer Diagnosis: Synergizing pMEF Chip Technology with Deep Learning Models

Speaker: Yi-Kuen Lee

Abstract

Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) are pivotal markers for metastasis, playing a significant role in cancer progression. Despite the surge in microfluidic and nanotechnologies aimed at isolating and detecting CTCs, their integration into routine clinical practice remains challenging. This is attributed to the heterogeneity of CTCs across patients, their low prevalence in blood, and the need for robust and clinically dependable detection systems. To surmount these obstacles, we introduced the groundbreaking personalized Microfluidic Elasto-Filtration (pMEF) chip technology, leading to the development of the holistic pMEF system. This innovative approach harnesses the interplay between blood fluid mechanics and hyperelasticity principles. By optimizing the Capillary number-based MEF technology, it anticipates the unique deformations of CTCs. Furthermore, it incorporates biophysical data from patient samples to determine individualized MEF parameters. Collaborations with multiple hospitals have confirmed the system’s exceptional clinical sensitivity and specificity across a spectrum of over ten cancer types. To further enhance the clinical efficacy of the pMEF system, we are integrating deep learning models (DLM). These models delve into novel CTC biomarkers within the vast dimensional space of DLM and explore potential label-free DLM techniques. This integration facilitates the meticulous analysis of extensive clinical datasets, ushering in a more nuanced and accurate cancer diagnosis. Our initial clinical trials, which capitalize on the combined prowess of pMEF technology and DLM, are set to meet the rigorous standards established by FDA guidelines. As we continue to incorporate more clinical data, the combined force of pMEF and DLM stands at the cusp of transforming clinical cancer diagnosis, laying the groundwork for bespoke treatments in the near future.

Biography

Prof. Yi-Kuen Lee received his BS & MS degrees from National Taiwan University, a Ph.D. degree in MEMS at UCLA in 2001. He has been a tenured professor in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at HKUST and the executive committee of Hong Kong ITF funded international reseach center (HKCRC). He was Visiting Associate at Caltech in 2010-2011. His current research topics include CMOS MEMS sensors and microfluidics for smart buildings, smart manufacturing and global health. He was the President of Hong Kong Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (HKSTAM) in 2012–2014. He was the co-founder of IEEE NEMS Conference; TPC of IEEE MEMS 2007; TPC of APCOT 2012-2014, TPC of IEEE NEMS 2013, Transducers 2013, 2015, co-chair of ICMAN 2011. He has published over 200 international journal and conference papers. He was the Associate Editor of Microfluidics and Nanofluidics (Springer-Nature). He is on the editorial board of Micronanoelectronic Technology and Bio-Design and Manufacturing (Springer-Nature). He co-chaired Asia-Pacific Conference of Transducers and Micro-Nano Technology (APCOT 2018), Hong Kong in 2018. He is also the Executive Technical Program Committee of 2023 Transducers, Kyoto, Japan, June 2023.

Talk 2: Multiphysics Microfluidic Probes for Cell Manipulation and Analysis

Speaker: Mohammad A. Qasaimeh

Abstract

This talk will focus on discussing our efforts in developing next generation scanning probes, with applications ranging from cell manipulation, capture, and analysis, to advanced atomic force microscopy imaging and biosensing. The first half of the talk will be focused on the concept of the Multiphysics Probes; multifunctional integrated tools developed based on the microfluidic probe technology, with applications on “on-the-fly” cell separation and patterning, multiplex capture of clinical circulating tumor cells, and single-cell biopsy sampling and analysis. The second half of the talk will be geared towards presenting our developed technology of 3DTIPs, which are envisioned as the next-generation 3D probes for atomic force microscopy. 3DTIPs are soft polymeric probes with novel three-dimensional shapes and structures, and shown to be effective in obtaining high-resolution and high-speed images in air and liquid environments. By the end of this talk, I will further discuss our current attempts in merging the Multiphysics Probes and 3DTIPs technologies into a single tool named FluidTIPs, which aimed for advanced multiparametric single-cell manipulation and analysis.

Biography

Dr. Qasaimeh is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), Abu Dhabi, UAE. He established the Advanced Microfluidics and Microdevices Laboratory (AMMLab) in 2014, and his current research interests include developing microfluidic and MEMS devices for point-of-care diagnostics. Recently, Dr. Qasaimeh was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from NYUAD and the Technology Innovation Pioneers (TIP) Award from the UAE’s Ministry of Economy during the TIP 2020 Summit. Prior to joining NYUAD, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Qasaimeh completed his PhD degree in Biomedical Engineering from McGill University, where he received several prestigious fellowships and awards including the NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship and the Alexander Graham Bell Graduate Scholarship. Dr. Qasaimeh’s research has been published in many peer-reviewed journals including Nature Communications, Small, Advanced Science, Advanced Materials Technologies, and Lab on a Chip, and he delivered more than 45 keynote and invited lectures at national and international conferences. Dr. Qasaimeh is actively involved in organizing several local and international conferences, and currently serving as a General Chair for the 6th International Conference on Manipulation, Automation and Robotics at Small Scales (MARSS). Dr. Qasaimeh is serving as an Associate Editor with the journal Frontiers in Robotics and AI (Nano- and Microrobotics), a Topic Editor with the journal Biosensors, a Review Editor with the journal Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, and an Editorial Board Member of Scientific Reports at the Nature Publishing Group.

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Date: 7 – 8 November 2023

Time: 08:00hrs

Poor air quality is a concern in African cities, but governments have been too slow to react, one of the reasons being the scarcity of data on different pollutants. Instruments based on low-cost sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) are being considered as solution to evaluate the concentration of different pollutants but very few research has been done till now in Africa on this topic. Therefore, this seminar which is organized in the framework of the IoT4AQ project aims to bring together air pollution specialists who will discuss various aspects of air pollution: outdoor/indoor air pollution, air quality index, health effects, design, testing and deployment of IoT-based air quality monitors. At the end of the seminar, participants who wish to design IoT-based monitors will be invited for hands-on-training sessions.

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Date: 29 August 2023

Talk 1: HOLMES: Next generation molecular diagnostic system based on CRISPR technology

Speaker: Jin Wang

Abstract

CRISPR diagnostic technology is known as the “next generation diagnostic technology” due to its advantages of specificity, sensitivity, and simplicity. The HOLMES system developed based on Cas12 can combine with constant temperature amplification technology to leverage the advantages of fast and accurate detection, making it very suitable for application scenarios such as nucleic acid self testing. In addition, HOLMES technology can also be used for rapid detection of non nucleic acid targets, further expanding the application range of CRISPR diagnostic technology.

Biography

Wang Jin, PhD, CEO of Tolo Port Biotechnology Co., Ltd., National Youqing. His team first discovered the ssDNA transcleavage activity of CRISPR/Cas12 protein in 2017, developed the HOLMES nucleic acid rapid detection system, and obtained the underlying patent for Cas12 diagnostic technology. Under his promotion, Tolo Harbor Biotech reached a patent cross licensing cooperation with Sherlock Biosciences in 2020 for Cas12 and Cas13 diagnostic technologies in the Chinese and American markets. In November 2022, the two sides further signed a global cooperation agreement on CRISPR diagnostic “patent cross licensing”, thereby completing the comprehensive layout of Tolo Harbor Biology’s underlying methodological patents in the CRISPR testing field. At present, he is leading Tolo Harbor Biotechnology in promoting the application of CRISPR diagnostic technology in molecular POCT, clinical infection detection, early screening and accompanying diagnosis of tumors, and home testing. Tolo Harbor Biology is also working together with in vitro diagnostic peers to promote the rapid development of the CRISPR diagnostic industry.

Talk 2: Development of Innovative Enzymes and Application of Novel Molecular Diagnostic Technology

Speaker: Zhonglei Li

Abstract

In recent years, the research of synthetic biology in the field of protein functional materials has become a hot topic. Common protein products include recombinant proteins, antibodies, enzymes and so on, which can be used for drug development, biological scientific research experiments, diagnostic reagent development, disease treatment and the like. Looking back on the history of life science technology and medical molecular diagnostic technology, each iteration of technology has benefited from the discovery and application of new protein raw materials and new diagnostic tool enzymes. However, these core raw materials and their derived diagnostic technologies are mostly derived from developed countries such as Europe and the United States, such as the CRISPR(Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)/Cas system that has attracted high attention in recent years. The performance indexes of molecular diagnostic technology are getting better and better. In this report, I will share some of our team’s work on the development of new molecular diagnostic technologies and tool enzymes, including the development of enzyme molecular evolution engineering technology system, which has formed important inventions on diagnostic enzymes, especially the novel coronavirus diagnostic enzymes in the rapid transformation of performance, high-quality enzyme preparation process and biological detection application key technologies. The report focuses on showing that the programmable Ago nucleic acid detection system, as a new generation of molecular diagnostic technology, can achieve modular design in nucleic acid enrichment and detection, compatible with and improve the performance of existing genetic detection technologies (PCR technology, sequencing technology, nucleic acid mass spectrometry and molecular hybridization technology, etc.). A-STAR gene enrichment and detection technology has been applied to the development of rapid detection reagents for SNV, SNP and other types of low-abundance mutant genes. RADAR high sensitivity rapid nucleic acid detection technology can be used for rapid detection and typing of a variety of latent infectious pathogens. The A-STAR/RADAR platform technology has the advantages of simple design, high sensitivity, fast speed and multiple detection. The new diagnostic tool enzyme can widely empower the existing PCR market, help NGS sequencing medicine, nucleic acid mass spectrometry medicine, etc., “reduce cost and increase efficiency”, and promote the development of new detection technologies and kits.

Biography

Dr. Li Zhonglei is an Assistant Researcher in the Life Science and Technology School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Co-founder and General Manager of Jiaohong Biotechnology (Shanghai) limited company. He received his Ph.D. degree from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2017.From 2017 to 2021, he conducted postdoctoral research in the School of Life Science and Technology of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and continued to promote the industrialization of the project and the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, whose team focuses on the research of molecular enzymology and synthetic biology. With the support of the National Key Basic Research and Development Program (973 Program), major projects of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and key projects of the Natural Science Foundation, the mysteries of efficient enzyme catalysis were explored from multiple perspectives such as enzyme catalysis, stability and substrate selectivity. Some new strategies such as enzyme directed evolution and rational design have been developed to create evolutionary enzymes with significant functional changes, which have been applied in important drug synthesis. In recent years, it has also been committed to the research of new microbial gene editing enzymes, and established new technologies for precise targeted nucleic acid detection to help detect the low abundance of nucleic acid markers for major diseases and evaluate the efficacy. Dr. Li have been engaged in molecular biology, pathogenic microbiology and molecular enzymology research for a long time. Participated in more than 10 key projects of the National Nature Foundation and major international cooperation projects of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and participated in 5 provincial and municipal scientific research development and promotion projects; He has published more than 10 academic papers and won the first prize of Shanghai Technology Invention in 2023. 15 invention patents have been applied for, and 8 invention patents have been authorized.

Talk 3: Point-of-Care and Plant Diagnostics by Connected Smartphone Sensors

Speaker: Qingshan Wei

Abstract

Smartphone-based optical imaging and sensing devices are among the next-generation biosensors that have shown great potential to transform the field of point-of-care (POC) diagnostics. With the rapid improvement of hardware (e.g., lens, image sensor, and CPU), smartphone has become a transformative microscopy and sensing platform that can support various detection or biomedical measurement applications, especially for resource-limited settings. On the other side, smartphone diagnostics can maximize its potential for early disease detection by coupling with specific molecular assays, such as nucleic acid amplification tests and immunoassays. This talk will highlight our recent effort in creating advanced smartphone-based biosensor platforms and the integration of smartphone device with CRISPR assay to generate a new POC diagnostic platform. An unexpected trans-cleavage behavior of Cas12a against double-stranded DNA substrates was recently discovered, which greatly eases the design of CRISPR-Dx reporter molecules. Promising applications ranging from POC diagnostics of human diseases to in-field detection of plant pathogens will also be illustrated.

Biography

Qingshan Wei is an associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and a member of the Emerging Plant Disease and Global Food Security Cluster at NC State. He received his Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from Purdue University in 2012, and completed postdoctoral training in the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Bioengineering at UCLA between 2012-2016. His research interests focus on developing novel diagnostic assays and sensors for point-of-care detection of human and plant diseases. He is the recipient of the Goodnight Early Career Innovator Award (2023), NSF CAREER Award (2020), and Nano Research Young Innovator Award in NanoBiotech (2018).

Talk 4: System solution of microfluidic molecular POCT platform

Speaker: Yamei Peng

Abstract

In nucleic acid analysis, qPCR has the characteristics of high sensitivity and quantification, and is of great value in the diagnosis of infectious diseases, reproductive health and genetic diseases, early screening of tumors and concomitant diagnosis. However, due to the complex analysis process and aerosol pollution problems of qPCR, as well as the stringent professional requirements for laboratory physical partition environment, instruments, operators and so on, the technology is more used in professional laboratories, and it is difficult to meet the point-of-care testing needs of “fully closed, fully integrated, high-throughput, on-the-spot inspection”. Based on the above pain points, in recent years, researchers and enterprise scientists have vigorously developed molecular POCT technology, which integrates the whole process of nucleic acid analysis from extraction to amplification and detection. Microfluidic technology has become the key technology platform of molecular POCT because of its low consumption, miniaturization and integration. TinkerBio is committed to providing the IVD industry with CDMO overall solutions for microfluidic products from design and development to production and manufacturing, and has many years of development experience and successful cases in the field of microfluidic molecular POCT.This report will first introduce the current market layout of microfluidic molecular POCT products, and then analyze the technical route of current representative molecular POCT products based on microfluidic chip and nucleic acid detection technology, and further discuss the key technologies of molecular POCT product development combined with TinkerBio Microfluidic Platform. Microfluidic molecular POCT will be an important part of the next generation molecular diagnostic technology platform in terms of product form, technological advantages and market demand.

Biography

Yamei Peng, R&D Director of Hangzhou TinkerBio Technology Co., Ltd., Doctor of Science. She graduated from Zhejiang University, majoring in analytical chemistry, and her tutor is Professor Fang Qun, a famous expert in microfluidics. Dr. Peng has also worked at Dian Diagnostics Group Co., Ltd.. She is a postdoctoral fellow jointly trained by Tsinghua University and the Yangtze River Delta Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Zhejiang Province, and her co-tutor is Academician Sui Senfang. She has presided over a number of POCT product development projects based on microfluidic technology platform, especially the products applied in the field of IVD molecular diagnosis (nucleic acid detection). She has rich experience in the design, development and conversion of microfluidic POCT system, and has comprehensive knowledge reserves of reagent methodology, optical detection system and microfluidic chip. She has applied for more than 10 patents for microfluidic technology, and has been granted 7 patents for inventions and utility models in China.

Talk 5: Smartphone-based Mobile Detection Platform for Rapid Molecular Diagnostics and Spatiotemporal Disease Mapping

Speaker: Jinzhao Song

Abstract

Rapid, quantitative molecular diagnostics in the field, at home, and in resource poor settings is needed for evidence-based disease management, control, and prevention. Conventional molecular diagnostics requires extensive sample preparation, sophisticated instruments, and trained personnel, restricting their use to centralized laboratories. To overcome the limitations of laboratory-based procedures, we designed a series of simple, inexpensive, hand-held, smartphone-based mobile detection platforms, for rapid, connected, and quantitative detection of pathogens’ nucleic acids. We anticipate that our methods will improve quality of health care in regions lacking sophisticated laboratories and enable patients to assume greater responsibility for their care.

Biography

Jinzhao Song, a researcher of the Institute of Basic Medicine and Oncology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), and a double professor of the Hangzhou Institute of Advanced Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, graduated from the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences with a doctor’s degree. Since 2013, I have been conducting postdoctoral research at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering. Before returning to China, he served as a research assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania. As an independent PI and co PI, he successfully received funding from two research projects, NIH K01 and NIH R21, as well as an entrepreneurship incubation fund, with a total amount of~1.3 million US dollars. He was also awarded the NIH “Scientist Development Award” and the American Society of Clinical Chemistry “Precision Medicine Young Scientist Award”. He has long been committed to the research of molecular diagnostic methods and detection instruments. Through interdisciplinary research in analytical chemistry, molecular biology, and engineering technology (machinery, electronics, computers, etc.), he has developed a series of new principles, methods, and devices for molecular diagnosis, and established a highly sensitive liquid biopsy technology based on programmable nucleases. In recent years, as the first/corresponding author, I have published 15 papers and applied for more than 10 patents in top journals in the field of molecular diagnosis. I have launched molecular POCT nucleic acid rapid detection products and ultra sensitive tumor liquid biopsy products, and have established a company (Hangzhou Yijian Technology) for promotion and transformation

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Date: 25 August 2023

Talk: Molecular Structure Determination of Inorganic Nanomaterials by Sensitivity-Enhanced Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

Speaker: Aaron J. Rossini

Abstract

The molecular level structure of materials gives rise to their properties. However, it is challenging to determine the structure of materials that lack long-range order, making it difficult to form structure-property relationships. My research group develops and applies solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) spectroscopy to obtain detailed structural models of materials. SSNMR spectroscopy is amongst the most powerful atomic level characterization technique for solids because it can measure inter-atomic distances, and probe chemical bonding and symmetry with element specificity in both ordered and amorphous systems. In this talk, I will illustrate how sensitivity-enhanced SSNMR spectroscopy techniques can be applied to study the structures of inorganic nanomaterials such as semiconductor nanoparticles, disordered 2D materials, and heterogeneous catalysts.

Biography

Aaron Rossini is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Iowa State University and a Faculty Scientist at the US DOE Ames Laboratory. He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed publications. His independent research was recognized with a Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in 2020 and he was awarded the Caldarelli Prize in Magnetic Resonance for Young Investigators at the 2019 Alpine Conference on Magnetic Resonance.  He completed his PhD studies in September 2010 at the University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, under the supervision of Prof. Robert W. Schurko. In 2011 he moved to Lyon, France to work with Prof. Lyndon Emsley and Dr. Anne Lesage at the Centre de Resonance Magnetique Nucleaire à Très Haut Champs (CRMN Lyon) at the Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon (ENS Lyon) as a Marie Curie International Incoming Fellow. In October 2014 he moved to école Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland to continue working with Prof. Emsley. In August 2015, he moved to Ames, Iowa to join the Department of Chemistry at Iowa State University as an Assistant Professor. He was promoted to Associate Professor in August 2021 and to Full Professor in August 2023.

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Date: 22 August 2023

Talk 1: Vibration Energy Harvesting Technology Towards Battery-Free IoT

Speaker: Guobiao Hu

Abstract

The world is entering a new era of the Internet of Things (IoT). Within the framework of IoT, billions of physical devices worldwide will connect to the Internet, uploading, downloading, and sharing data. If all the billions of IoT network node devices utilize chemical batteries, the follow-up maintenance and replacement tasks will be strenuous. How to address the power supply issue and guarantee the perpetual operation of those IoT network nodes is a very challenging problem. Vibrations and wind are renewable energy resources that ubiquitously exist in our surrounding environment. Therefore, developing self-powered technology via scavenging energy from the ambient environment has gained enormous attention from the academic and industrial communities. In this talk, I will introduce a number of innovative energy harvesting systems designed by us in the past few years for scavenging energy from vibrations or wind, including some nonlinear, self-adaptive, multi-directional, and metamaterial-based designs. Problems and challenges encountered in practical applications will be pointed out, and the motivation behind each design will be explained. Theoretical models of those electromechanical systems will be used to help elucidate their dynamic mechanisms.

Biography

Dr. Guobiao Hu is an assistant professor with the Internet of Things Thrust at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou). He received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Auckland. Before joining HKUST(GZ), he worked as a Research Fellow at Nanyang Technological University. His research interests include energy harvesting, acoustic-elastic metamaterials, and intelligent material structures & systems. Dr. Hu has published over 80 peer-reviewed technical papers in prestigious journals and international conferences, including 5 ESI highly cited papers. He received the Best Paper Finalist Award at the SPIE Conference on Smart Structures/NDE 2018. He has filed 3 patents, including 1 Singapore and 2 Chinese patents. According to Google Scholar statistics, his publications have received over 2000 citations with an H-index of 25. He is named in the world’s top 2% of Scientists List (2022) identified by Stanford University. He serves as reviewer for more than 60 SCI journals and guest editor for 5 SCI journals.

Talk2：Self-powered wearable devices for health monitoring

Speaker: Xutao Mei

Abstract

This talk will give an introduction of arm motion during human walking, then based on the space dynamics to derive a mathematical model of the arm swing motion. During the talk, we will discuss the effects of the road slope, walking speed, human height and arm length on the acceleration on the human wrist. The experimental dataset of 300 participants was tested by different machine-learning methods. Results demonstrate that the Random Forest regression (RFR) method has better performance for arm swing predictions to identify the parameters of arm swing during human walking. These findings provide theoretical guidance for further design and optimization of wrist-worn electret energy harvesters (EEH). Furthermore, an optimized EEH (3mm thickness, 39mm diameter) was designed for a self-powered wearable device. Experimental tests for a human during daily walking were conducted, and the output power can reach 0.5 mw at a walking speed of 5 km/h.

Biography

Dr. Xutao MEI is currently a project researcher at Institute of Industrial Science (IIS) of the University of Tokyo (UT), working on energy harvesting, nonlinear dynamic, data modeling and intelligent transportation. Before that, he obtained his Ph.D degree from UT in Mar. 2020. He was a recipient of the MEXT Scholarship of Japanese Government from Oct. 2016 to Mar. 2020. In the scope of Scientific Research, Dr. Xutao MEI published 20 journal papers on the top journal such as Joule, Nonlinear dynamic, Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing and Journal of Sound and Vibration, and 10 papers in International Conference, covering energy harvesting, nonlinear dynamic and data modeling. In the presentation, Dr. Xutao MEI will introduce one research works on “Self-powered wearable devices for health monitoring”.

Talk 3: Ionic hydrogels enable human-machine interfaces and health monitoring

Speaker: Chan Wang

Abstract

The last few decades have witnessed unprecedented convergence between humans and machines that closely operate around the human body. These innovative electronic devices provide people with more comprehensive support for health management, disease prevention, recovery, and human function enhancements through real-time health monitoring, medical assistance, and exercise tracking. However, conventional electronic devices are mostly based on rigid, dry, and non-biological materials, which are significantly different from soft, wet, and organic biological tissues. Thus, achieving a long-term reliable and efficient interface has become a major challenge. Hydrogels, as an ideal material candidate, provides an effective solution to this challenge due to their resemblance of mechanical properties and chemical properties to biological tissues, as well as their diversity and flexibility in performance design. In this report, I will introduce our latest progress in the functional regulation of ionic hydrogels and their applications in bioelectronic medical devices.

Biography

Dr. Wang Chan is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the National University of Singapore. In 2016, she received a bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from China University of Geosciences (Wuhan). In 2021, she received a doctorate in nanoscience and technology from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing Institute of Nano Energy and Systems), supervised by Professor Li Zhou. Dr. Wang Chan has been engaged in the functional regulation of ionic hydrogels and their application in bioelectronic medical devices. She has more than 30 papers have been published in journals such as Sci. Adv., Nat. Common., Adv. Mater., Adv. Funct. Mater., ACS Nano. Among them, there are 4 ESI highly cited papers, 1 ESI hot article, and 4 cover articles. Dr. Wang Chan has participated in writing a chapter of the book. Lastly, her published research work has been heavily cited (over 1200 times) by top journals, like Adv. Mater., Adv. Energy Mater. et al. Her H-index is 16 (from Google Scholar), and she hold 2 patents.

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Date: 18 August 2023

Talk Progress on Origami engineering

Speaker: Yan Chen

Abstract

Origami is an emerging discipline that developed from art to mathematics. In this century, with the desire to apply origami into various engineering applications, origami engineering has been promoted rapidly in many aspects, including robotics, metamaterials, aerospace structures, medical devices and so on. In this talk, we will discuss the current progress on the fundamental design theory and analysis methodology of origami-inspired structures, including the origami kinematic and thick-panel origami, kinematic metamaterials and property programming, multistable mechanisms and meta-structures.

Biography

Professor Yan Chen received her D. Phil. from University of Oxford in 2004. She is currently a Chair Professor in Tianjin University and the Deputy Director in Key Laboratory of Mechanism Theory and Equipment Design, Ministry of Education. Her research focuses on the kinematics of spatial mechanism, design of deployable structures, origami metamaterials, and mechanical intelligent robots. She has published more than 90 journal papers in Science, Nature Communications, PNAS, AFM, Research, Engineering, MMT, etc.. She was funded by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, won the Xplorer Prize 2020 (Tencent Foundation) and the Science and Technology Award for Young Scientists.

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Date: 15 August 2023

Talk 1: Liquid Metal Particles and Polymers: A Soft–Soft System with Exciting Properties

Speaker: Shiyang Tang

Abstract

Gallium-based liquid metal alloys are a special type of material that is in the liquid state at (or near) room temperature. They are particularly attractive due to their unique combination of a fluidic and metallic body, together with a chemically reactive and functionable surface. As a fluid, liquid metals provide the best union of stretchability, deformability, and electrical conductivity among all soft materials. Such an advantage in combination with their low toxicity and relatively good biocompatibility has imparted liquid metals with unique features that can be harnessed for applications in many fields. More importantly, the fluidic nature of liquid metals allows them to be readily processed using shear for making particles with variable sizes (from nm to mm), which is not possible with solid materials. These particles have a liquid metal core–solid metal oxide shell (conductor–semiconductor) structure, allowing them to merge, transform shape, change phase, respond to stimuli, and self-heal. Despite these unique features, limited surface stability and functionality, unpredictable reactivity, and uncontrollable hydrophilicity of liquid metal particles niche their wider applications. To bestow liquid metal particles with desirable surface properties while taking the benefits offered by soft features, another important soft material – polymers – can be synthesized and engineered on an on-demand basis to coat or embed liquid metal particles. This leads to the formation of liquid metal–polymer soft composites with versatile surface and bulk properties, thereby yielding soft–soft systems with exciting characteristics. In this talk, Dr. Tang will introduce his recent works on the production, investigation, characterization, and application of liquid metal particle–polymer composites.

Biography

Dr. Shiyang Tang is an Associate Professor in the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton, UK. He received his BEng (1^st-class honours) in Electrical Engineering and PhD in Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University), Australia, in 2012 and 2015, respectively. He went to the Pennsylvania State University and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to conduct his postdoctoral research in bio-microfluidics. He was the Vice-Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Wollongong, Australia, from 2017 to 2019. Before joining the University of Southampton, he was a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the School of Engineering at the University of Birmingham, UK. Dr. Tang is the recipient of the Future Fellowship (2023) and the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA, 2020) from the Australian Research Council. Dr. Tang has published ~110 papers in high-impact journals, including PNAS, Nature Communications, Science Advances, Matter, and Advanced Materials. Dr. Tang is the Associate Editor of the Journal of Nanobiotechnology and an Editorial Board member of Sensors, Scientific Reports, and Soft Science.

Talk 2: Liquid Metal-Grown Crystals: Synthesis and Applications

Speaker: Jianbo Tang

Abstract

Solvent-based synthesis is one of the most practiced routes for designing metal nanocrystals as microscopic functional building blocks, such as high-performance catalysts, smart sensing materials, intelligent drug carriers and imaging agents. In a typical wet chemical synthesis process, metal compounds (such as metal salts) and other reactant(s) are dissolved in an aqueous or organic solvent to form fine metallic structures via single or multi-step chemical reactions. Distinct to conventional non-metallic solvents, liquid metals provide a type of high-purity yet strongly interacting (to solute metals) solvents for thermodynamics-governed (non-chemical) metal crystal synthesis, thereby avoiding high-cost and/or hazardous precursors and by-products. Liquid metal-grown crystals reveal unique tailorable compositional (e.g., single- or multi-metallic phases) and structural (e.g., facet, grain, and grain boundary) characteristics that are highly desirable for surface-based applications. In this talk, the distinguishing features of metal crystals grow in a number of liquid metal synthesis systems will be presented. Two crystal growth modes, namely, surface crystal growth and interior crystal growth, will be focused. A post-synthesis dealloying strategy for further transforming liquid metal-grown intermetallic crystals into application-ready catalytic nanoporous architectures will be demonstrated. Using plasmonic sensing and energy conversion electrocatalysis as examples, the potential applications of these liquid metal-grown crystals will be briefly discussed.

Biography

Dr Jianbo Tang is a Lecturer at the School of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney). He is also an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) Fellow and an Associate Investigator of the ARC Centre of Excellence FLEET. He is currently leading an indipendent group of 2 postdocterial research associates, 5 PhD students and 1 Master by Research student.

Working at the crossroad of materials science, thermal/applied physics, chemical engineering, metallurgy and nanotechnology, Dr Tang’s research encompasses both fundamental and applied sciences of low-melting-temperature metals and alloys known as liquid metals. As an emerging leader in his field, he has (co)authored >80 peer-reviewed publications, with first author and/or corresponding author articles in high-profile journals including Science, Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Synthesis, Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, and Advanced Science.

Talk 3 : Liquid Metal-Based Electronic Tattoo

Speaker: Lixue Tang

Abstract

At present, soft electronic devices based on silicone are usually in contact with the skin through tapes, bandages, or van der Waals forces. When the skin is deformed, the soft electronic device cannot be deformed simultaneously with the tissue due to insufficient adhesion between the device and the tissue, which will result in the detachment of the measurement interfaces and cause measurement errors. To overcome this problem, we propose a liquid metal-based electronic tattoo for human health and motion monitoring with properties including soft, thin, and stickiness. To fabricate soft electronic tattoos, we combined liquid metal particles with different polymers and developed different printing and sintering techniques of liquid metal particles to realize the patterning of liquid metal on different soft substrates. To fabricate thin electronic tattoos, we used a layer-by-layer spin-coating method to manufacture multilayer electronic tattoos that can be embedded in fingerprints. We achieved high integration of strain sensors in the electronic tattoos. We found that the high conformability of the tattoo significantly enhanced the sensitivity of the strain sensor. To fabricate sticky electronic tattoos, we integrated liquid metal with pressure-sensitive adhesive to prepare intrinsically sticky liquid metal conductors. We use sticky liquid metal conductors to realize in-situ welding of electronics on the skin. And sticky liquid metal conductor can also be used as an electrode to monitor electrophysiological signals during exercise. Finally, we will briefly discuss some of the challenges in e-tattoo applications.

Biography

Dr. Tang Lixue is an associate professor at the School of Biomedical Engineering, Capital Medical University. His research interests include smart materials in stretchable electronics, soft sensors, and the design of stretchable circuits. He has published 17 peer-reviewed publications, including Science Advances, Nature Communications, and Advanced Science. He has received funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, R&D Program of Beijing Municipal Education Commission, and the Young Elite Scientist Sponsorship Program by BAST.

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Date: 11 August 2023

Talk: The Power of One: From Single Molecule Investigations to Materials Research and beyond

Speaker: Johan Hofkens

Abstract

Single molecule spectroscopy has tremendously impacted every field in which the technique was applied, ranging from catalysis over plasmonics, polymer physics, biophysics to cell biology and DNA sequencing. Furthermore, single molecule techniques have allowed researchers to push the resolution of fluorescence microscopy past the diffraction limit. In this presentation, I will give an overview of how recent single molecule experiments and the development of new microscopy modalities in my laboratory have been have been driving developments in material science and biosciences alike.

Biography

Johan Hofkens received his MSc. and Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from the University of Leuven (KULeuven). After postdoctoral research with Prof. Masuhara at Osaka University (1994-1995) and Prof. Barbara at the University of Minneapolis (1996), he rejoined the KULeuven, establishing the Single Molecule Laboratory in the group of Frans De schryver. In 2005 he was appointed Research Professor at the KULeuven and in 2008 he was promoted to full professor. His research interests are fast spectroscopy, single molecule spectroscopy & fluorescence microscopy, the development of new microscopy modes and application of these microscopy modalities in biological and materials research. He currently holds a fellow position in the MPI Mainz. Prof. Hofkens is an editor for ACS and serves on editorial boards of multiple journals.  He has published more than 500 journal research papers, holds 7 patents, co-authored two books. He is an elected Member of the Flemish Academy of Science (Vlaamse Koninklijke Academie voor Wetenschappen, Letteren en Kunst), of the European Academy of Science, and of  Academia Europaea. He received several awards including the Award of the ‘Koninklijke Academie voor Wetenschappen, Letteren en Kunst’, section Chemistry, the Grammaticakis Neumann award in Photochemistry, the ‘Prix FSR’, the Morino Lecturer award and the Otto Wolfbeis Fluorescence Prize. Prof Hofkens held the Zernike chair at the University of Groningen and holds a Chair professor position at Zhejiang University . He has mentored over 50 PhD students and over 80 postdocotoral researchers, many of which  now occupy positions in academia themselves.

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Date: 8 August 2023

Talk 1: Micro Sensors with Nanoforests

Speaker: Haiyang Mao

Abstract

Sensors have become a strategic requirement for various countries, and the performance of sensors determines the quality of information extraction. Due to its special surface characteristics, nanoforests have the characteristics of tip/surface effect, light transmission/absorption, molecular adsorption, etc., and have been applied in different fields such as energy, biology, medicine, photonics, etc. The traditional serial and parallel processes that can be used to prepare nanoforests have problems such as high cost, difficulty in control, susceptibility to metal pollution, and incompatibility with CMOS processes. In this report, I will introduce a new type of nanoforest structure and its preparation method. In addition, based on the wide spectrum and high absorption capacity of the nanoforests and the molecular adsorption capillary condensation effect, we have achieved the integrated application of the nanoforests in MEMS optical sensors, humidity sensors, vacuum sensors, and other devices, and greatly improved the performance of the sensors. In addition, we have also explored the intelligent application of sensors.

Biography

Haiyang Mao is currently a Professor at Institute of Microelectronics of Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMECAS). She received her Ph.D. degree in Microelectronics and Solid-State Electronics from Peking University in 2011. Her research interests include MEMS devices and nanomaterial-based sensors. Prof. Mao has published more than 70 peer-reviewed papers (Advanced Functional Materials, Small, ACS Sensors, etc.) and contributed over 40 conference talks (IEEE MEMS, Transducers, IEEE Sensors, IEEE NEMS, etc.). Besides, she has applied for 108 patents, and authorized 54 patents. She has also developed several MEMS sensor products, by focusing on the industrialization of MEMS sensors, she has produced tens of millions of sensor chips and modules, which have been widely used in fields of biomedical research, smart home, and industry.

Talk 2: Optical strategies for single extracellular vesicles detection towards early cancer diagnosis

Speaker: Ying Zhu

Abstract

Liquid biopsies, which detect signs of cancers in blood and other bodily fluids, are a new paradigm in cancer management. However, current liquid biopsies are limited to advanced cancers, largely due to the lack of a highly sensitive technique to detect extremely low concentrations of circulating biomarkers at the early stages of cancer. This leads to a new research field using innovative biosensors for highly sensitive detection of circulating biomarkers. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small lipid-bilayer-enclosed particles shed from cells into the circulation. As one of the earliest-arising biomarker sources in cancer cells, EVs have been demonstrated with greater potential for early cancer detection. In this talk, I will discuss several analytical technologies we have developed towards the highly sensitive detection of EVs using digital/single EV detection. The first example is an ultrasensitive digital assay for EV detection using lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles, which achieved a limit of detection three orders of magnitude lower than standard ELISA. This assay has been further developed into a super-resolution imaging platform for single EV analysis. The second example is an advancement of a nanoplasmonic biosensor, which is used to improve the resolution of fluorescence microscopy towards single EV detection.

Biography

Dr Ying Zhu completed her Bachelor’s degree in Material Science and Engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 2009. She worked as a research assistant at Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and nano-bionics during 2009-2010. She completed her PhD in 2015 in Australia’s top biosensor and biodevice group led by Professor Justin Gooding (Editor-in-Chief of ACS Sensor) at UNSW Sydney. Dr Zhu’s subsequent postdoc work at Dartmouth College (Ivy League member) extended her biosensor expertise to translational cancer research. Dr Zhu was supported by Cancer Institute NSW Early Career Fellowship during 2017-2020 to establish further her work in using biosensors for cancer diagnosis. She is now a lecturer in the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Technology Sydney with a continuing position. Dr Zhu was awarded the Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Students Abroad in 2014 and the Rising Star Award from the Australian Association of Chinese Biomedical Scientists in 2018.Dr Zhu’s current research focuses on developing new nanomaterials and nanoscale devices to capture and analyse biomarkers for cancer diagnostics. She works in a multidisciplinary field across chemistry, materials, nanotechnology and biomedicine. Dr Zhu has published 28 journal papers and one book chapter and presented at 17 national and international conferences. Her works have been cited 816 times with a h-index of 16.

Talk 3: Lightweight, high strength, corrosion resistant and recyclable metallic materials for sustainable future

Speaker: Rajeev Kumar Gupta

Abstract

Reducing material consumption and promoting recycling are critical aspects of materials for a sustainable future. Corrosion significantly decreases the useful life of engineering components, thereby necessitating the production of more materials. Additionally, corrosion-resistant metallic materials tend to be heavy, resulting in higher carbon footprints. Consequently, the importance of developing lightweight, high-strength, and corrosion-resistant materials is steadily growing. The properties of engineering alloys are limited by conventional compositions and manufacturing technologies.  The speaker’s recent work has shown the development of alloys with properties beyond conventional property limits by controlling the microstructure and composition. A specific example of developing high-strength and corrosion-resistant Al alloys by designing far-from-equilibrium microstructures and compositions will be presented.

Biography

Rajeev Gupta is an associate professor of materials science and engineering at North Carolina State University. Rajeev received his B.S. in materials and metallurgical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India and Ph.D. in materials engineering from Monash University, Australia. Prior to joining the NC State University faculty, he was an assistant professor of chemical, biomolecular and corrosion engineering at the University of Akron, Ohio. He is an associate editor of the Journal of the Electrochemical Society. Rajeev has authored over 130 publications and holds two patents.  Rajeev’s primary research interests lie in the broad areas of corrosion and material engineering. His research group focuses on understanding the structure-processing-property-performance relationships in metallic materials, high-temperature corrosion, passivity, corrosion initiation and propagation mechanisms, and surface electrochemistry using state-of-the-art material characterization and electrochemical techniques. The fundamental research is intended to be applied in developing new materials, corrosion characterization techniques, material processing technologies, and life prediction models.

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Date: 4 August 2023

Talk1: Shape-shifting soft robots that adapt to changing tasks and environments

Speaker: Anita W. Y. Ho-Baillie

Abstract

Solar cell that converts solar energy to electricity is one of the cheapest electricity production technology, due to the rapid cost reduction in the last decade. The incumbent silicon solar cell technology is approaching its power conversion efficiency limit (29%), new approaches are needed to increase the efficiency for further cost reduction.Multi-junction or tandem solar cells involve the stacking of high bandgap solar cells onto low bandgap solar cells for them to work in tandem, each converting light in the “sectioned-solar-spectrum” to electricity more efficiently. Multi-junction tandem cell concept is promising in delivering higher efficiencies given the efficiency limit for double junction solar cells is ~45% and for triple-junctions, ~51%. Multi-junction tandems According to the most recent photovoltaics industry roadmap ITRPV (2023), it is projected that Si-based tandem solar cells will become part of the photovoltaic technology mix starting in 2027.Perovskite solar cell technology has the performance credentials and the ease of fabrication to be a candidate for tandem solar cells. Perovskite-based tandem cell research has attracted immense amount of interest in the last 6 years and has experienced a very rapid rate of improvement in energy conversion efficiency.In the talk, I will present our research at the University of Sydney that include demonstrations of various bandgap perovskite solar cells and various type of perovskite tandem solar cells and their applications in the wider context. I will touch on our strategies for improving their stability and durability.

Biography

Anita Ho-Baillie is the John Hooke Chair of Nanoscience at the University of Sydney, an Australian Research Council Future Fellow, and an Adjunct Professor at University of New South Wales (UNSW). She completed her Bachelor of Engineering degree on a Co-op scholarship in 2001 and her PhD at UNSW in 2005. Her research interest is to engineer materials and devices at nanoscale for integrating solar cells onto all kinds of surfaces generating clean energy. She is a highly cited researcher from 2019 to 2022. In 2021, she was an Australian Museum Eureka Prize Finalist and was named the Top Australian Sustainable-Energy Researcher by The Australian Newspaper Annual-Research-Magazine. She won the Royal Society of NSW Warren Prize in 2022 for her pioneering work in the development of next generation solar cells.

Talk2: Photonic Chip Frequency Combs: New Technologies for Measuring almost anything

Speaker: Arnan Mitchell

Abstract

Optical frequency combs were invented more than 20 years ago and have  evolutionized precision measurement.  Their significance was recognized with the award of the 2005 Nobel Prize in physics, but since then have remained largely within sophisticated laboratories.  Recent advances have made it possible to realize optical frequency combs in the form of micro-chips which can be manufactured cheaply, are compact and efficient. In this talk I will explain what an optical frequency comb is, how they are used for precision measurement and the coming wave of new micro-chip optical frequency combs. Systems as micro-chips.  I will present an outlook for the diverse areas of application where I believe combs will have impact spanning high-speed communications, machine learning, seismology, biomedical imaging, monitoring the environment, and even searching for life on other planets.

Biography

Professor Arnan Mitchell is a Distinguished Professor in the School of Engineering at RMIT University, Director of the RMIT Micro Nano Research Facility (MNRF) and is Director of the recently Announced ARC Centre of Excellence for Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science (COMBS).He has published more than 700 research papers including publications in Science, Nature, Nature Medicine and Nature Photonics among many others.  He is a senior member of the IEEE, SPIE and is a Fellow of Optica. He is a highly multidisciplinary researcher working in micro-chip technologies combining light, sound, fluids and electronics with applications spanning radar systems for defense, high speed fiber optic communications and point of care diagnostic systems for biomedicine. He is enthusiastic about translating technology into the hands of end-users and has dedicated much of his career to building and training diverse teams and comprehensive micro and nanotechnology infrastructure to enable breakthrough discoveries to achieve real world impact.

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Date: 1 August 2023

Talk1：Structure-property-function relationship of animal silks and their extended applications

Speaker: Dion Khodagholy

Abstract

Our understanding of the brain’s pathophysiology relies on discoveries in neuroscience and neurology fueled by sophisticated bioelectronics enabling visualization and manipulation of neural circuits at multiple spatial and temporal resolutions. In parallel, to facilitate clinical translation of advanced materials, devices, and technologies, all components of bioelectronic devices have to be considered. Organic electronics offer a unique approach to device design, due to their mixed ionic/electronic conduction, mechanical flexibility, enhanced biocompatibility, and capability for drug delivery. We design, develop, and characterize conformable, stretchable organic electronic devices based on conducting polymer-based electrodes, particulate electronic composites, high performance transistors, conformable integrated circuits, and ion-based data communication. These devices established new experimental paradigms that allowed monitoring of the emergence of neural circuits during development in rodents and elucidated patterns of neural network maturation in the developing brain. Furthermore, the biocompatibility of the devices also allowed intra-operative recording from patients undergoing epilepsy and deep brain stimulation surgeries, highlighting the translational capacity of this class of neural interface devices. In parallel, we are developing the fully-implantable, conformable implantable integrated circuits based on high-speed internal ionic gated organic electrochemical transistors that can perform the entire chain of signal acquisition, processing, and transmission without the need of hard Si-based devices. This multidisciplinary approach will enable the development of new devices based on organic electronics, with broad applicability to the understanding of physiologic and pathologic network activity, control of brain-machine interfaces, and therapeutic closed-loop devices.

Biography

Dion Khodagholy is an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University. He received his Master’s degree from the University of Birmingham (UK) in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. This was followed by a second Master’s degree in Microelectronics at the Ecole des Mines. He attained his Ph.D. degree in Microelectronics at the Department of Bioelectronics (BEL) of the Ecole des Mines (France). He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in systems neuroscience at New York University, Langone Medical Center.

His research aims to use unique properties of materials for the purpose of designing and developing novel electronic devices that allow efficient interaction with biological substrates, specifically neural networks and the brain. This process involves design, characterization, and fabrication of high-performance biocompatible electronics to acquire and analyze neural data. The ultimate goal is to translate such advances in electronics, materials and neuroscience into more effective diagnostics and treatments for neuropsychiatric diseases.

Talk2：Organic Semiconductors for Energy Applications and Printed Electronics

Speaker: Derya Baran

Abstract

The need for big data that the internet of things (IoT) has created in recent years has turned the focus on integrating the human body in the quest to understand it better, and in turn use such information for detection and prevention of harmful conditions. Applications in which continuous and uninterrupted operation is required, or where the use of external power sources may be challenging demands the use of self-powered autonomous systems. Organic photovoltaic devices are flexible, lightweight, and soft, capable of interacting with the human body and its mechanical demands. Their processability from solutions permits their adaptation to versatile fabrication techniques such as spin coating, roll-to-roll coating and inkjet printing, with benefits including low material usage and freedom of design. In this talk, I will present how organic photovoltaics can be utilized in printed electronics as energy harvesting devices and go through the historical progress of organic/hybrid photovoltaics as well as the main activities that are ongoing in my research lab ‘Omegalab’.

Biography

Derya, originally from Turkey, is a passionate scientist who received her doctorate degree from Friedrich-Alexander Erlangen-Nürnberg University in Materials Science and Engineering in 2014. Since 2017, she is an assistant professor at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia. Her research group (OMEGALAB) focus on engineering organic and hybrid materials for energy harvesting devices. Derya co-authored more than 100 publications including Nature Materials, Nature Materials Reviews, Science etc. and is a recipient of Helmholtz Association postdoc grant in 2015 (joint with Imperial College London). She was selected for MIT Technology Review’s 2018 list of ‘35 Innovators under 35’ for her development of transparent power glass that can generate electricity and block the heat for greenhouses and future buildings. She is co-founder of two start-ups. As a scientist and entrepreneur, she strives to be a role model to younger generations.

Talk3：Ultrathin organic solar cells: basics and applications

Speaker: Kenjiro Fukuda

Abstract

Flexible and thin photovoltaics can supply variety of applications such as power sources for wearable electronics and soft robots. We reduce the total thickness of such organic photovoltaics down to several μm, which enable extreme bendability and light-weight properties. The important parameters include high efficiency and stability in ambient air conditions. In addition to the improved performance of flexible organic solar cell itself, we are considering how to make integrated systems, which includes conductive connection of multiple flexible electronics, and lamination to complex curved surfaces. Here I discuss the basics and potential applications of ultra-thin organic solar cells. Potential applications include wearable self-powered sensors, and soft robots.

Biography

Kenjiro Fukuda received his Ph.D. from the Department of Applied Physics at the University of Tokyo in 2011. From 2011 to 2015, he worked at Yamagata University as an assistant professor, and then joined RIKEN, where he is currently a Senior Research Scientist in the thin-film device laboratory and emergent soft system research team, Center for Emergent Matter Science. From 2014 to 2018, he has also been a PRESTO researcher of the Japan Science and Technology Agency. His current research interests include organic transistors, flexible electronics, and printed electronics.

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Date: 28 July 2023

Talk: Shape-shifting soft robots that adapt to changing tasks and environments

Speaker: Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio

Abstract

Soft robots have the potential to augment their morphology, properties, and behavioral control policy to adapt to different tasks and environments. Inspired by the dynamic plasticity and general adaptability of animals, this talk will introduce several shape-shifting soft robot platforms—for example, robotic fabrics and legged robots with morphing limbs—capable of editing their physical structure to perform tasks more efficiently under changing task demands or in multiple environments. The talk will also cover the multifunctional material systems, including stretchable electronics, novel soft actuators, and variable stiffness materials, that enable predictable shape change. Harnessing these engineered materials and mechanisms yields access to a gamut of adaptive capabilities for increasingly life-like synthetic robots.

Biography

Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio is the John J. Lee Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Yale University. Focusing on the intersection of materials, manufacturing, and robotics, her group is deriving new multifunctional materials that will allow next-generation robots to adapt their morphology and behavior to changing tasks and environments. She is the winner of multiple early career awards including the NSF Career Award, the NASA Early Career Award, the AFOSR Young Investigator Award, and the ONR Young Investigator Award. She was named to the Forbes “30 under 30” list for her approach to manufacturing liquid metals through printable emulsions and scalable sintering methods. She received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) award, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers, for her development of robotic skins that turn inanimate objects into multifunctional robots. She serves as an Associate Editor of Soft Robotics and IEEE T-RO, as well as Senior Editor of IJRR, and was General Chair of the IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft) in both 2020 and 2021. She was named an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer in 2019, a National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Gilbreth Lecturer in 2022, and a National Academy of Science (NAS) Kavli Fellow in 2023. She also serves on the Technology, Innovation & Engineering Committee of the NASA Advisory Council.

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Date: 25 July 2023

Talk1：Structure-property-function relationship of animal silks and their extended applications

Speaker: Shengjie Ling

Abstract

Animal silks, such as those spun by spiders and silkworms, possess remarkable qualities like high strength, elastic modulus, and extensibility. These characteristics make them an ideal model for designing synthetic polymers. While industrial spinning techniques have made progress, no synthetic fiber matches the mechanical performance of silks. Understanding the structure-property-function relationship of silks inspires the development of high-performance synthetic materials. Continuous dynamic analysis reveals that silk’s mechanical behavior differs from linear-elastic responses observed in traditional tensile tests. A viscoelastic model incorporating the time variable provides insights into the contribution of secondary structures to silk’s dynamic behavior. Studying the mesoscale fibrillar architecture of silks confirms that nanofibrils enhance the ductility and damage tolerance of silk fibers through non-slip kinematics, restricted fibril shearing, and controlled slippage. We have also developed an algorithm combining deep learning and macromolecular statistical physics theory to deconstruct the intrinsic mechanical properties of silk nanofibers that have an important impact on the mechanical properties of silk. We further developed silk-based functional materials, for applications in smart sensing, power generation, display, biomedicine, and disaster warning, et.al.

Biography

Shengjie Ling is an assistant professor and Principal Investigator in the School of Physical Science and Technology at ShanghaiTech University. He obtained his Ph.D. in 2014 from Fudan University and ETH Zurich, Switzerland, as a joint Ph.D. student. Prior to joining ShanghaiTech University, he worked as a postdoctoral associate at MIT and Tufts University from 2014 to 2017. His research focuses on basic research, application development, and industrial transformation of natural polymers. As the first/corresponding author, he has published over 120 papers in academic journals such as Nature Reviews Materials, Chemical Society Reviews, Nature Communications, Science Advances, and Advanced Materials. He has also served as a youth editorial board member for ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, Journal of Renewable Materials, Journal of Forestry Engineering, Materials Futures, and Nano-Micro Letters. He served as the Editor-in-Chief for a monograph on Fibrous Proteins. He was selected for the 2022 “Top 2% Top Scientists in the World Annual Scientific Influence Ranking List.”.

Talk2：Development and Application of Bio-based Functional Nanomaterials

Speaker: Feng Jiang

Abstract

In recent years, bio-based nanomaterials such as nanocellulose have garnered significant attention and become a hot topic of research in various fields, owing to their remarkable mechanical, optical, and nanoscale properties. These materials have demonstrated tremendous potential across multiple domains. Furthermore, bio-based nanomaterials have garnered particular attention due to their sustainable, renewable, and biodegradable characteristics. In this context, our research group primarily focuses on the sustainable transformation, complex hierarchical structure construction, and functional applications of lignocellulosic nanomaterials. In this report, I will first introduce the preparation of lignocellulosic nanomaterials and their inherent properties, with a strong emphasis on utilizing green and sustainable chemical methods for their synthesis. I will also discuss the self-assembly of nanocellulose and the utilization of advanced additive manufacturing techniques to construct complex hierarchical structures. Lastly, using nanocellulose as the fundamental building block, I will explore applications in thermal regulation, energy storage, sensors, and other fields. In summary, we anticipate harnessing the full potential of lignocellulosic nanomaterials by leveraging sustainable green chemistry and advanced nanotechnology.

Biography

Prof. Feng Jiang is an Associate Professor at The University of British Columbia, and also a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Functional Biomaterials. He received his PhD degree in Macromolecular Science and Engineering from Virginia Tech in 2011, and postdoc training from University of California Davis, and University of Maryland College Park. His research areas focus on sustainable isolation and modification of lignocellulosic nanomaterials, as well as advanced manufacturing of bio-based products developments for emerging thermal, environmental, electrical, and energy applications. He has published over 100 journal articles in high-impact journals, including Chemical Reviews, Progress in Materials Science, Advanced Materials, ACS Nano, Advanced Functional Materials, Nano Energy, Materials Horizons, and Chemical Engineering Journal. As of July 2023, his research has been cited more than 9,500 times and he has an H-index of 46. He serves as Editor of Carbohydrate Polymers. He is the 2021 recipient of ACS CELL KINGFA Young Investigator Award, 2023 recipient of UBC Faculty of Forestry Outstanding Research Award, 2023 recipient of TAPPI Nano Mid-Career Award, and he has been selected as the The Paper360° 2022 TOP 50 POWER LIST. He also holds several leadership roles in ACS CELL Division and TAPPI Nano Division. His research has generated 4 patents, and several provisional patents, and has been reported by over 300 different media, including CBC, CTV, BNN Bloomberg, etc.

Talk3：New insight into sustainable cellulosic aerogels

Speaker: Yuanyuan Li

Abstract

With low density and high specific surface area, aerogels are attractive in various applications ranging from aerospace to energy storage. The mechanical brittleness and sustainability requirements of mainstream SiO2 aerogel drive the investigation of biomass-based aerogels.

Cellulosic aerogels are of increasing interest, given the carbon neutrality due to CO2 storage during cellulose biosynthesis and superior mechanical property of cellulosic fibrils. Cellulosic aerogels are often obtained through a bottom-up approach, disintegrating resources (e.g. wood) into nano building blocks (e.g. nanocellulose) followed by structure reassembling into aerogels. The complex processing and high energy consumption are challenges. Top-down approach is an alternative by direct wood cell wall nanostructure tailoring. The step of nano building blocks extraction is eliminated which is beneficial for scalable fabrication.

In this context, new type of cellulosic aerogels, wood aerogels, are proposed and fabricated through in situ cell wall reassembly where cellulosic nanofibril network filling the empty wood channels. The wood aerogels show combined high mechanical performance and high specific surface area. The development of wood processing to achieve sustainable wood aerogels structures will be explained. The structure understanding of the aerogels will be presented. Relative applications benefit from the structural design will be demonstrated including thermal insulation and hydrovoltaic energy harvesting.

Biography

Yuanyuan Li, assistant professor, head of Biocomposites division at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden and a PI in the Wallenberg Wood Science Center (WWSC) and Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability (WISE). She received her PhD degree in 2014 from Nanjing Forestry University. During her doctoral studies, she visited University of Maryland, USA. She moved to KTH as a postdoctoral fellow in 2015. Her group focuses on wood nanoscience and nanotechnologies development and applications, including transparent wood and wood aerogel. She has published over 70 papers in numerous high-impact journals, resulting in a H index of 44 until July 2023. She received the EPNOE Junior Scientist Award in 2021, 2023 Gunnar Sundblad Foundation’s Competence Development Award, 2023 Liang Xi Forestry Science Development Award, 2023 ACS CELL division KINGFA Young Investigator Award.

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Date: 21 July 2023

Talk: Plasmonic Nanomaterials on the Way to Personalized Medicine

Speaker: Luis M. Liz-Marzán

Abstract

Nanoplasmonics involves the manipulation of light using materials with significantly smaller sizes than the radiation wavelength. This usually involves nanostructured metals, which very efficiently absorb and scatter light because of their ability to support coherent oscillations of free (conduction) electrons. Therefore, an essential pillar behind the development of nanoplasmonics is the great advance in fabrication methods, which have achieved an exquisite control over the composition and morphology of metal nanoparticles. Colloid chemistry has the advantage of simplicity and large-scale production, with the ability to direct not only nanoparticle morphology but also surface properties and subsequent processing via self-assembly. This talk will provide an overview of the fabrication of “nanoplasmonics” building blocks and their integration in materials and devices that can be used for real applications in sensing and diagnostics. In particular, it will focus on the application of nanostructured plasmonic substrates comprising micropatterned Au nanoparticle superlattices and 3D-printed hybrid scaffolds, to the precise SERS detection of selected tumor metabolites which shape the cancer landscape.

Biography

Luis M. Liz-Marzán is an Ikerbasque Research Professor at the Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE) in San Sebastian, Spain. He is also a Group Leader at the Biomedical Networking Center for Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), and holds a part-time Chair in Physical Chemistry at the University of Vigo.  He has published more than 550 papers, is a co-inventor on 12 patents and has supervised over 40 PhD students and 60 postdocs, many of whom are professors worldwide.  His research has been recognized by many awards, including a Humboldt Research award (2009), Dupont Prize (2010), the inaugural ACS Nano Lectureship award (2012), the Rhodia Prize of the European Colloid and Interface Society (2013), the Medal of the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry (2014), the Rey Jaime I Prize in Basic Sciences (2015), the Spanish National Research Award on Chemical Science and Technology (2018), and the Lilly Foundation Prize on Preclinical Biomedical Research (2021).  He is an international member of the National Academy of Engineering (USA), and a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Spain, the European Academy of Sciences, and Academia Europaea.  He recently received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Antwerp (Belgium).

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Date: 28 July 2023

Time: 14:00 – 18:00 (GMT+2)

The American Ceramic Society (ACerS) seeks to strengthen scientific and industrial collaboration through regional and inter-national networks involving senior leaders, young professionals and students.

Join the virtual meeting, share your thoughts and ideas.

Register at https://uni-koeln.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tdeGrpzkrGdw8j2BL5jVJWis4HRsxTccM#/registration

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Date: 18 July 2023

Talk1：Photon Manipulation and Artificial Intelligence in Photonic Nose Chips

Speaker: Hong Zhou

Abstract

Information represents one of the fundamental industries driving the advancement of contemporary society, and the acquisition of such information heavily relies on the utilization of sensors. Electronic devices are equipped with a diverse range of audio, visual, and tactile sensors, providing them with visual, auditory, and tactile capabilities akin to those found in biological systems. A typical smartphone, for instance, incorporates no fewer than 30 sensors, enabling it to collect vast quantities of visual, auditory, and tactile data. However, a prevailing concern in current smart devices, including smartphones, is the absence of olfactory functionality. Furthermore, the integration of olfactory sensors for the detection and identification of respiratory gases holds substantial value in disease diagnosis. Therefore, the investigation of olfactory sensors with multi-gas recognition assumes paramount importance. In this seminar, the photonic nose technology based on optical NEMS (Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems) chips will be introduced. The primary scientific challenge in achieving high sensitivity for photonic noses lies in addressing the intrinsically inefficient interaction between light and matter. Therefore, the presentation will commence with a comprehensive examination of the fundamental theory, placing emphasis on how optical antennas enable sub-wavelength scale manipulation of photons to achieve surface-enhanced infrared absorption effects. The multiple hotspot strategy, the loss-induced phase transition mechanism, and the loss-induced broadband mechanisms will be discussed within this context, as efforts are made to overcome the inherent limitations of weak light-matter interactions. Additionally, we will explore the role of artificial intelligence in enhancing the recognition capabilities and intelligent design of photon chips. In summary, our research endeavors are dedicated to the investigation of artificial intelligence-enabled photon nose chips, with the ultimate goal of equipping electronic terminals with enhanced sensing capacities.

Biography

Hong Zhou is a research fellow at the National University of Singapore. Dr. Zhou obtained his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from Central South University and Chongqing University, respectively. Since 2021, he has been conducting postdoctoral research in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore. Dr. Zhou has extensive experience in research on optical M/NEMS chips and intelligent sensors. In the past five years, he has published over 40 academic papers, with more than 20 papers as the first/corresponding author in top journals and international academic conferences such as Advanced Materials, Nano-Micro Letters, InfoMat, Advanced Science, and IEEE MEMS. He has been granted 10 national patents and has been awarded the 2019 China Industry-University-Research Cooperation Innovation Achievement Award, the Best Poster Presentation Award at IEEE MEMS 2023 and TRANSDUCERS 2023, as well as the Second Prize in the 8th Micro-Nano Technology “Innovation and Industrialization” Research Achievement Transformation Competition by the Instrumentation and Measurement Society of China.

Talk2：Flexile Tactile Sensors Enhanced by Microstructures

Speaker: Mayue Shi

Abstract

Tactile sensors are a class of sensors that mimic human haptic functions and are essential in the interaction of smart devices such as robots with their environment. In order to better simulate the tactile function and eventually surpass humans, the key challenges in the current development of tactile sensors are flexibility, high-precision, multi-modality and large-area sensing. MEMS process-based microstructures and innovative sensor architecture designs offer unique advantages in the face of these key challenges. In this talk, I will introduce our studies in flexible tactile sensors, mainly including the application of microstructure in a variety of flexible tactile sensors, the selection of sensor materials and processes, innovative sensor structure design and its advantages, discuss the artificial intelligence-based sensor data processing models, and propose a high-performance flexible tactile sensing architecture that comprehensively considers materials, structures, signals and data.

Biography

He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Imperial College London, focusing on flexible sensors and actuators based on micro- and nanomaterials and data analysis methods. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Xi’an Jiaotong University and Peking University, respectively. In 2021, he received his PhD from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Imperial College London, focusing on flexible piezoelectric energy harvesters and sensors, exploring their applications in ambient sensing and healthcare monitoring. Since graduation, he has been conducting postdoctoral research at Imperial College London, including soft surgical robots and multi-sensor wearable fetal motion monitors for preventing stillbirth, and has led the hardware and firmware development of the wearable monitors. He has published more than 20 articles in prestigious international journals and conferences, including ACS Nano, Nano Energy, Microsystem & Nanoengineering, etc., and his first author article has won the ACS Editors’ Choice, Microsystem & Nanoengineering Annual Outstanding Paper Award and PowerMEMS Conference Outstanding Paper Award.

Talk3：Research on the mechanism of soot formation and the application of green hydrogen

Speaker: Haiqin Zhou

Abstract

Energy is one of the most important factors affecting economic and industrial development. According to the “2021 Statistical Report on World Energy: 2020, fossil fuels (coal, natural gas and fuel) account for nearly 80% of the world’s energy supply. Hydrogen attracts more attention to achieving the goal of carbon neutrality for the advantage of high efficiency, no emission, and can be blend with different fuel. In this report, I will introduce our research on the formation and mechanism of soot particles. We will explore the mechanism for the formation and growth of soot precursors and reveal the dynamic mechanism of soot particles formation using experiment and simulation methods. In addition, we have also carried out research on hydrogen production and hydrogen energy application by offshore wind power to explore scientific and reasonable offshore wind power production. We will carry out key core technology research, and improve the supporting infrastructure construction of offshore wind power hydrogen production. Overall, our research has extremely high strategic value for improving the security of the energy system and achieving carbon neutrality.

Biography

Haiqin Zhou is a research fellow at the University of Nottingham, UK. Dr. Zhou Haiqin received her PhD in Engineering from Beijing Institute of Technology in 2019. After that, She started her postdoctoral research at the University of Nottingham. She has published more than 12 papers in some high-impact journals, including 7 papers in the Top 1 and two authorized patents. She awarded outstanding graduates of Beijing Institute of Technology. She is currently a member of the British Flame Research Committee

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Date: 18 July 2023

Talk1：Photon Manipulation and Artificial Intelligence in Photonic Nose Chips

Speaker: Hong Zhou

Abstract

Information represents one of the fundamental industries driving the advancement of contemporary society, and the acquisition of such information heavily relies on the utilization of sensors. Electronic devices are equipped with a diverse range of audio, visual, and tactile sensors, providing them with visual, auditory, and tactile capabilities akin to those found in biological systems. A typical smartphone, for instance, incorporates no fewer than 30 sensors, enabling it to collect vast quantities of visual, auditory, and tactile data. However, a prevailing concern in current smart devices, including smartphones, is the absence of olfactory functionality. Furthermore, the integration of olfactory sensors for the detection and identification of respiratory gases holds substantial value in disease diagnosis. Therefore, the investigation of olfactory sensors with multi-gas recognition assumes paramount importance. In this seminar, the photonic nose technology based on optical NEMS (Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems) chips will be introduced. The primary scientific challenge in achieving high sensitivity for photonic noses lies in addressing the intrinsically inefficient interaction between light and matter. Therefore, the presentation will commence with a comprehensive examination of the fundamental theory, placing emphasis on how optical antennas enable sub-wavelength scale manipulation of photons to achieve surface-enhanced infrared absorption effects. The multiple hotspot strategy, the loss-induced phase transition mechanism, and the loss-induced broadband mechanisms will be discussed within this context, as efforts are made to overcome the inherent limitations of weak light-matter interactions. Additionally, we will explore the role of artificial intelligence in enhancing the recognition capabilities and intelligent design of photon chips. In summary, our research endeavors are dedicated to the investigation of artificial intelligence-enabled photon nose chips, with the ultimate goal of equipping electronic terminals with enhanced sensing capacities.

Biography

Hong Zhou is a research fellow at the National University of Singapore. Dr. Zhou obtained his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from Central South University and Chongqing University, respectively. Since 2021, he has been conducting postdoctoral research in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore. Dr. Zhou has extensive experience in research on optical M/NEMS chips and intelligent sensors. In the past five years, he has published over 40 academic papers, with more than 20 papers as the first/corresponding author in top journals and international academic conferences such as Advanced Materials, Nano-Micro Letters, InfoMat, Advanced Science, and IEEE MEMS. He has been granted 10 national patents and has been awarded the 2019 China Industry-University-Research Cooperation Innovation Achievement Award, the Best Poster Presentation Award at IEEE MEMS 2023 and TRANSDUCERS 2023, as well as the Second Prize in the 8th Micro-Nano Technology “Innovation and Industrialization” Research Achievement Transformation Competition by the Instrumentation and Measurement Society of China.

Talk2：Flexile Tactile Sensors Enhanced by Microstructures

Speaker: Mayue Shi

Abstract

Tactile sensors are a class of sensors that mimic human haptic functions and are essential in the interaction of smart devices such as robots with their environment. In order to better simulate the tactile function and eventually surpass humans, the key challenges in the current development of tactile sensors are flexibility, high-precision, multi-modality and large-area sensing. MEMS process-based microstructures and innovative sensor architecture designs offer unique advantages in the face of these key challenges. In this talk, I will introduce our studies in flexible tactile sensors, mainly including the application of microstructure in a variety of flexible tactile sensors, the selection of sensor materials and processes, innovative sensor structure design and its advantages, discuss the artificial intelligence-based sensor data processing models, and propose a high-performance flexible tactile sensing architecture that comprehensively considers materials, structures, signals and data.

Biography

He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Imperial College London, focusing on flexible sensors and actuators based on micro- and nanomaterials and data analysis methods. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Xi’an Jiaotong University and Peking University, respectively. In 2021, he received his PhD from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Imperial College London, focusing on flexible piezoelectric energy harvesters and sensors, exploring their applications in ambient sensing and healthcare monitoring. Since graduation, he has been conducting postdoctoral research at Imperial College London, including soft surgical robots and multi-sensor wearable fetal motion monitors for preventing stillbirth, and has led the hardware and firmware development of the wearable monitors. He has published more than 20 articles in prestigious international journals and conferences, including ACS Nano, Nano Energy, Microsystem & Nanoengineering, etc., and his first author article has won the ACS Editors’ Choice, Microsystem & Nanoengineering Annual Outstanding Paper Award and PowerMEMS Conference Outstanding Paper Award.

Talk3：Research on the mechanism of soot formation and the application of green hydrogen

Speaker: Haiqin Zhou

Abstract

Energy is one of the most important factors affecting economic and industrial development. According to the “2021 Statistical Report on World Energy: 2020, fossil fuels (coal, natural gas and fuel) account for nearly 80% of the world’s energy supply. Hydrogen attracts more attention to achieving the goal of carbon neutrality for the advantage of high efficiency, no emission, and can be blend with different fuel. In this report, I will introduce our research on the formation and mechanism of soot particles. We will explore the mechanism for the formation and growth of soot precursors and reveal the dynamic mechanism of soot particles formation using experiment and simulation methods. In addition, we have also carried out research on hydrogen production and hydrogen energy application by offshore wind power to explore scientific and reasonable offshore wind power production. We will carry out key core technology research, and improve the supporting infrastructure construction of offshore wind power hydrogen production. Overall, our research has extremely high strategic value for improving the security of the energy system and achieving carbon neutrality.

Biography

Haiqin Zhou is a research fellow at the University of Nottingham, UK. Dr. Zhou Haiqin received her PhD in Engineering from Beijing Institute of Technology in 2019. After that, She started her postdoctoral research at the University of Nottingham. She has published more than 12 papers in some high-impact journals, including 7 papers in the Top 1 and two authorized patents. She awarded outstanding graduates of Beijing Institute of Technology. She is currently a member of the British Flame Research Committee

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Date: 14 July 2023

Talk: Supramolecular Broad-Spectrum Antivirals

Speaker: Francesco Stellacci

Abstract

Viral infections are a great threat for modern society, there are thousands of people that die every year because of them (mostly in under-developed countries) and many more have a lower quality of life because of them. Furthermore, it is become apparent that pandemic infection can have enormous consequences on global health as well as on the economy of the entire world. In this talk I will summarize a decade-long effort in my laboratory to develop broad-spectrum antivirals. The approach that will be presented is different from most biological approach as it is focused on an extracellular mechanism that affect the structural integrity of the virus rendering them non infective irreversibly. I will discuss the development of the compounds that we are investigating and their putative mechanism. In vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo example of the efficacy of such compounds will be discussed.

Biography

Prof. Francesco Stellacci got his degree in Materials Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano in 1998 with Prof. Zerbi. He then moved as a post-doc with Prof. J.W. Perry in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Arizona. In 2002 he became as assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT (Cambridge, USA). There he became associate professor with tenure in 2009. In 2010, he moved as a full professor to EPFL where he holds the Constellium chair. Stellacci has published more than 130 papers and has more than 15 patent applications. He has won numerous awards, among the the Technology Review TR35 ’top innovator under 35’, the Popular Science Magazine ’Brilliant 10’, and the EMRS EU40. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, of the Global Young Academy, and of the European Academy of Sciences.

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Date: 11 July 2023

Talk1：Targeted Delivery of Microbial Metabolites for Immune Modulation

Speaker: Shijie Cao

Abstract

The gut microbiome plays a pivotal role in modulating the host’s immune system. Therapeutics based on the microbiome are showing promise in the treatment of diseases associated with gut dysbiosis, including inflammatory, metabolic, allergic, and autoimmune conditions. However, selectively colonizing the gut with specific microorganisms remains a challenge. Microbial metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), exhibit immunomodulatory properties that can bypass the need for the microorganisms themselves. Although SCFAs are generally safe, their oral administration is hindered by their unpleasant odor and taste, as well as their rapid metabolism by host tissues and cells. In this talk, I will present several strategies that we have developed to overcome these limitations. First, we created a proof-of-concept polymeric micelle system capable of delivering butyrate, one of SCFAs, to the distal gut, thereby mimicking the therapeutic effects of protective bacteria naturally found in the intestines of healthy individuals. We demonstrated its efficacy in preserving gut barrier integrity and observed remarkable success in treating food allergies and colitis in mice. Next, we repurposed negatively charged micelles for lymphatic targeting and peripheral immune modulation, which resulted in localized immune suppression and demonstrated therapeutic efficacy in the context of rheumatoid arthritis. Lastly, we formulated a serine-conjugated butyrate prodrug (SerBut), which is based on the strategy of employing amino acid transporters to facilitate escape from the gut and enhance systemic absorption, thus increasing bioavailability. SerBut exhibited superior efficacy in treating both rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis in mouse models, accompanied by potent systemic immunomodulatory effects. Our work employing novel prodrug strategies to harness microbial metabolites and unlock their therapeutic potential could revolutionize the delivery of microbiome-based therapies, opening new avenues for treatment strategies in allergic, inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases.

Biography

Shijie Cao is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutics at the School of Pharmacy, University of Washington, USA. He earned his Ph.D. degree in Bioengineering from the University of Washington in 2018, and his Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from Fudan University in 2013. From 2019 to 2023, he served as a postdoctoral scholar in the School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago. He has authored over 30 papers, including publications in esteemed journals such as Nature Biomedical Engineering, Science Advances, The Journal of Clinical Investigation, Biomaterials, ACS Central Science, and Nanomedicine. His research group is currently focusing on pharmaceutical and immunoengineering approaches to control dysregulated immune responses and to develop translatable tools for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases as well as immunological disorders, including allergies, autoimmune diseases, and inflammation. He has been honored with the PMSE Future Faculty Award by the American Chemical Society and has received numerous travel awards from organizations including the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the American Association of Immunologists, and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Science. Furthermore, Dr. Cao is actively involved in translating technologies into clinical applications and has achieved recognition through awards such as 2nd place and the Moonshot Award in the Edward L. Kaplan, ’71, New Venture Challenge. Part of his work is also being advanced towards clinical translation through a start-up company, ClostraBio, Inc.

Talk2：Automated Tumor Chips for Cancer Immunotherapy

Speaker: Feng Guo

Abstract

Cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a promising approach for personalized medicine, particularly in the treatment of blood cancer. Despite its success in this area, there are significant challenges to overcome when it comes to developing new cancer immunotherapies and personalized therapies for solid tumors. This is mainly due to the intricate nature of tumor immunity and the heterogeneous treatment response observed in individual patients. To tackle these challenges, our research group is dedicated to the development and integration of automated tumor chips, leveraging innovative device design, time-lapse imaging, and system integration. In this talk, I will introduce the concept of “Intelligent Microfluidics” and how it can be used to screen T cell-tumor interaction dynamics for discovering cancer immune checkpoints that can enhance both T cell tumor infiltration and cytotoxicity in solid tumors. Furthermore, I will discuss several tumor chips using patient tumors for predicting clinical treatment response, highlighting their potential in guiding physicians to select the most effective adjuvant therapy for solid tumors. Our ultimate goal is to create automated tumor-on-a-chip systems that are highly efficient, accurate, and convenient, revolutionizing personalized and translational cancer medicine.

Biography

Dr. Feng Guo is an Associate Professor of Intelligent Systems Engineering at Indiana University Bloomington (IUB). Before joining IUB in 2017 fall, he received his Ph.D. in Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State and his postdoc training at Stanford University School of Medicine. His group is developing intelligent biomedical systems to address the challenges in translational medicine. He has published over 70 papers in high-impact journals, including Nature Methods, Nature BME, Nature Communications, PNAS, Advanced Science, Lab Chip, etc. He is a recipient of the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, the Indiana CTSI GLUE Award, the Outstanding Junior Faculty Award at IUB,  the Luddy Faculty Fellowship at IUB, the Dean Postdoctoral Fellowship at Stanford School of Medicine, etc.

Talk3：Cell-Inspired Strategies for Precision Tissue Targeting and Immuno-Delivery

Speaker: Zongmin Zhao

Abstract

Cells have emerged as a promising new class of drug delivery carriers. Current efforts in the field have demonstrated that cells as living carries have the unique capability to navigate different biological barriers leading to improved on-target delivery and reduced off-target toxicity. Over the past two decade, innovations in the field have led to numerous novel materials- and biologically-based strategies to engineer cell-based drug delivery systems, which eventually catalyzed the exploration of diverse cell types for targeting different pathologies. In this talk, I will discuss the principles of cell-inspired drug delivery technologies and our ongoing efforts to engineering living cells to address grand challenges in drug delivery and immunomodulation. I will also briefly introduce our perspective in generalizing this concept to solve critical problems in the broader biomedical engineering field, particularly in cellular engineering and immunoengineering.

Biography

Zongmin Zhao received his Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Virginia Tech in 2017 and B.S. degree in Bioengineering from East China University of Science and Technology in 2013. He did postdoctoral training with Prof. Samir Mitragotri at the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Wyss Institute at Harvard University from 2017 to 2021. He started his independent research group in 2021 and is currently an Assistant Professor in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Department at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). His research focuses on bioinspired and biomimetic strategies for designing better therapeutics, with the ultimate goal to improve the diagnosis and treatment of diseases including cancer, autoimmune diseases, acute injuries, and drug addictions. To date, Dr. Zhao’s research efforts have led to over 50 published articles in journals including Cell, Nature Biomedical Engineering, PNAS, Science Advances, Advanced Materials, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews et al. His research was covered by many media outlets, such as Science Daily, Technology Networks, and Science in Boston. His work was recognized by many awards including the NIH Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA). He is currently an Associate Editor of AICHE’s journal, Bioengineering & Translational Medicine (Wiley).

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Date: 8 July 2023

Time: 1400hrs (GMT)

The African Union Heads of States declared the first week of July each year as African Integration Day, to celebrate major achievements attained in regional and continental integration process and deliberate on critical lessons learned while addressing challenges faced by the continent.

To mark this year’s African Integration Day the African Union Commission in partnership with AfroChampions will host the Boma of Africa virtual festival on 8 July 2023. The festival will convene Africa’s decision makers across politics, business, technology and the technocracy .

The emphasis of Boma 2023 is the signing of the 4D Pact (pact.4DCorridor.org) by leading Pan-African institutions. The 4D Pact is a commitment to work together to promote and resource large-scale platforms and accelerators of the innovations at public and private sector level urgently needed to transform Africa according to Agenda 2063: the Africa we want.

AAS President-elect Professor Lise Korsten will join a host of African leaders as they share their support and commitment to the 4D Pact.

Register here

Date: 7 July 2023

Talk1: Symmetry and topology in photonic nanostructures

Speaker: Abdoulaye Ndao

Abstract

The quest for smaller, lighter, and more efficient optical components usually comes at the price of reduced functionalities. In this talk, I will provide an overview of how topological approaches to control light-matter interaction enable novel photonic devices with unique features and enhanced performance. I will discuss our recent breakthrough in demonstrating the first topological light source that unidirectionally outcouples to a waveguide from magnetic biased photonic crystal cavities of arbitrary shape. I will also discuss singularities of non -Hermitian systems and their application in biology and healthcare by detecting attomolar concentrations of anti-immunoglobulin G. In the last part of the talk, I will present a premier achromatic broadband metalens that is strategically engineered to span an octave bandwidth with high efficiency. Such devices will be suitable for free space and integrated optics and pave the way towards more complex and versatile systems with applications in high-capacity classical and quantum communications, as well as sensing.

Biography

Professor Abdoulaye Ndao is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Boston University. He was subsequently a postdoctoral researcher at UC San Diego and UC Berkeley. He received his Master and Ph.D. degrees in physics from the University of Franche Comte (France). Dr. Ndao is a recipient of ten prestigious awards, including Sculpted Light in the Brain Innovation award, Boston University Outstanding Faculty Committee Service Award,  Reidy Family Career Development Professorship. “the very best young researcher at Boston University, top ten 2021 Rising Stars of Light, top ten breakthrough by physics world, Triton Innovation Challenge grand prize winner for Lidar applications, Prize winner of Institute for the Global Entrepreneur at UC San Diego to name a few.  His research interests span wide-ranging topics in photonics, material sciences, and physics.

Talk2: Technology for the Underserved:  A Chemical Signal Amplification Strategy for Asymptomatic Malaria Detection

Speaker: Abraham Badu-Tawiah

Abstract

The presentation is intended to demonstrate recent mass spectrometry experiments designed to facilitate chemical analysis in resource-limited settings. In our approach, we combine new levels of simplicity, modest cost, and a centralized detection strategy for accurate disease detection. I will focus on technological advancements that enable portable mass spectrometers to be used as a signal transduction strategy for immunoassay platforms performed on ordinary paper substrates. Because of its high sensitivity, we can use this technology for asymptomatic malaria detection, where parasite density is very low.

Biography

Abraham Badu-Tawiah obtained his PhD (2012) in Chemistry from Purdue University under the supervision of Prof. Graham Cooks. From 2012 to 2014, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University under the direction of Prof. George Whitesides. He joined The Ohio State University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in July 2014 as an Assistant Professor. In June 2020, Dr. Badu-Tawiah was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure and in 2022 he was promoted again to the rank of Full Professor. He is currently the Fox Professor of Chemistry with appointments in the department of internal medicine and the department of microbial infection and immunity. Dr. Badu-Tawiah is a recipient of 2021 Ohio State Early Career Innovator of the Year, 2020 Sloan Fellowship Award, 2019 NIH MIRA for New Investigators Award, 2018 ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry Arthur F. Findeis Award, 2017 Eli Lilly Young Investigator Award in Analytical Chemistry, 2017 American Society for Mass Spectrometry Research Award, and 2016 Department of Energy Early Career Award. His current research is focused on the development of new mass spectrometry techniques for disease detection, and the studies of novel ion chemistry in charged micro-droplets.

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Date: 4 July 2023

Talk: Wearable Sensors and Energy Harvesters Shaping the Future of Healthcare and Interaction

Speaker: Tianyiyi He

Abstract

The perpetual pursuit of superior human life quality through functionality reinforcement from external devices propels the ceaseless advances of wearable electronics towards intelligent multifunctional wearable systems. However, current wearable sensors, relying on silicon-based electronics, are encased in rigid shells that fail to conform to the skin, limiting detection sites and functionality. Additionally, battery life remains a significant barrier to the sustained growth and expansion of wearables. With the increasing complexity of device features, escalating data interaction demands, and the necessity for long-term user data tracking, the advancement of wearable devices indispensably relies on the integration of novel energy technologies. In this talk, I will present our recent progress in flexible electronics for energy harvesting, self-powered sensing, and intelligent system integration. Beginning with the selection of emerging flexible materials, we delve into the design, fabrication, characterization, and optimization of wearable energy harvesters and self-powered sensors. Furthermore, we explore tailored system integration for diverse application scenarios and requirements. Our overarching goal is to develop flexible wearable systems prioritizing comfort, multifunctional sensing, IoT connectivity, self-sustaining energy management, and intelligence, thus propelling advancements in health monitoring and human-machine interaction fields.

Biography

Tianyiyi He is a Research Fellow in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore, Singapore. She received her B.Eng. degree from the School of Microelectronics and Solid-state Electronics at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu, China, in 2016, and her Ph.D. degree from Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore in 2020. She has published over 60 papers in numerous high-impact journals, including Nature Communications, ACS NANO, Advanced Science, Applied Physics Reviews, Nano Energy, etc., and has successfully applied for more than 10 patents. She has been nominated for the NUS Univeristy-Level award for her Ph.D. thesis and achievements, received the Institute of Microelectronics Prize (Student with the best PhD project in the area of microelectronic technologies and devices) on 07 June 2021. As of Jun 2023, her google citation has reached 4953, with an h-index of 39.

Talk2：Wireless Dual-Color Optoelectronic Probe for Bidirectional Optogenetic Modulations

Speaker: Lizhu Li

Abstract

The precise control of neural activities at both cellular and circuit levels reveals significant impacts on the fundamental neuroscience explorations and medical applications. Optogenetic methods provide efficient cell-specific modulations, and the ability of simultaneous neural activation and inhibition in a same brain region of freely moving animals is highly desirable and being actively researched. In the course of this presentation, I will report synergic optoelectronic and biological strategies to overcome challenges of existing techniques, and realize colocalized, bidirectional neural manipulations in untethered behaving mice with the co-expression of two spectrally distinct opsins in a rodent model.  I will outline the creation of  the wireless, dual-color optogenetic probe and its application in animal experiment, such as rewarding and aversive behaviors of freely moving mice in a place preference test, and interrogate social interactions among multiple mice. The technologies will create numerous opportunities and profound implications for the brain research.

Biography

Lizhu Li is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of  Electronic Engineering at Tsinghua University. Dr. Li graduated with a Ph.D. in Electronic Science and Technology from Tsinghua University in 2021, under the mentorship of Professor Xing Sheng. She continued her postdoctoral research in the Department of Electronic Engineering at the same university. Her work is dedicated to  the research on non-conventional optoelectronics for biomedical applications. In the past five years, he has published numerous papers as the first author (or co-first author) in journals such as Nature Communication, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, iScience, and Advanced Materials Technologies. During her postdoctoral work, she has successively received the support from the China National postdoctoral Program for Innovation Talents and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation. She have been awarded the postdoctoral title of Zhang Keqian of Tsinghua University, and granted a national scholarship and an “Excellent doctoral thesis” award from Tsinghua University.

Talk3：Wearable Ultrasound Patches for Deep-Tissue Monitoring

Speaker: Hongjie Hu

Abstract

Continuous and noninvasive capture of human vital signs via wearable electronics marks a significant breakthrough in the healthcare sector. Ingenious material development and structure design, in tandem with sophisticated microfabrication techniques, enable the amalgamation of various elements into a flexible wearable framework, leading to efficient systems that impose minimal constraints on the human body. However, the existing wearable non-invasive approaches are confined to capturing signals either on or close to the skin surface. Signals sourced from deeper tissues are of particular interest due to their more immediate and intense connection with physiological events within the human body. In the course of this presentation, I will delve into a wearable ultrasonic technology that is capable of noninvasively and continuously extracting dynamic data from core organs and deep tissues. I will outline the creation of a wearable, stretchable ultrasonic patch and various application scenarios it caters to, such as imaging of organ morphology, monitoring of cardiac functions, and mapping of deep-tissue biomechanics. This technology introduces a novel sensing dimension to wearable platforms, with vast potential for applications in both consumer electronics and medical environments.

Biography

Hongjie Hu is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of NanoEngineering at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Dr. Hu graduated with a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from UCSD in 2021, under the mentorship of Professor Sheng Xu. He continued his postdoctoral research in the NanoEngineering Department at the same university. His work is dedicated to the development of wearable, stretchable ultrasonic devices, conducting a series of research to address the mismatch between the rigid geometry of traditional ultrasound probes and human body interfaces and the limitations of the application environment. In the past five years, he has published numerous papers as the first author (or co-first author) in journals such as Nature, Nature Biomedical Engineering, Nature Reviews Materials, Nature Communications, Science Advances, and Nano Letters. His research achievements have been reported by the Wall Street Journal, the official media EurekAlert of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health, as well as well-known academicians and experts. In addition, he has also participated in several research projects published in journals such as Nature, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Nanotechnology, and Nature Electronics. Based on these research achievements, Dr. Hu received the Hisako Terasaki Young Innovator Award in the field of Biomedical Engineering in 2023.

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Date: 30 June 2023

Talk: Self-Powered Smart Electronics Based on Silk Fibroin

Speaker: Xiaosheng Zhang

Abstract

With the rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the emergence of 5G, traditional silicon-based electronics no longer fully meet market demands such as nonplanar application scenarios due to mechanical mismatch. This provides unprecedented opportunities for flexible electronics that bypass the physical rigidity through the introduction of flexible materials. In recent decades, silk fibroin presents greater superiorities in biocompatibility and biodegradability, and moreover, it also possesses a variety of attractive properties, such as adjustable water solubility, remarkable optical transmittance, light weight, and ease of processing, which are partially or even completely lacking in other biological materials. Therefore, silk fibroin has been widely used as fundamental components for the construction of biocompatible flexible electronics, particularly for wearable and implantable devices. Here, this talk focuses on our research activities on smart electronics based on silk fibroin, including micro/nano energy harvesting and multi-functional sensing, and furthermore the integration of the above two technologies to construct self-powered multi-sensing smart microsystems.

Biography

Dr. Xiaosheng Zhang is currently a Professor at University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC). His research field covers MEMS/NEMS. Prof. Zhang has published 3 scientific books (Wiley and Springer), more than 60 peer-reviewed papers and contributed over 30 conference talks (including Plenary talk for IEEE PowerMEMS 2021), and authorized 32 invention patents. In recognition for his research accomplishment, Prof. Zhang won over 20 academic awards, including National Young Talent Plan, Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of Chinese Institute of Electronics, etc. He also served as TPC member and session chair for TRANSDUCERS 2019 and IEEE NEMS 2017-2021. Prof. Zhang currently serves as Associate Editor for IEEE TNANO and Young Star Editor for Nano Research. He also leads over 10 research projects as PI, including National Key Research and Development Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China, etc.

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The third African Conference of Fundamental and Applied Physics, ACP2023, will be a hybrid  event, organized jointly by Nelson Mandela University at George Campus, in George, South Africa.

Dates: 25 – 29 December 2023

Registration and Abstract submission: https://indico.cern.ch/event/1229551/

Date: 25 – 29  September 2023

The conference will consist of daily blocks of

• Presentations : 10h-12h and 14h – 18h (GMT+2)
• Discussions : 12h30 -13h30  (GMT+2)

Please review The African Biophysics Landscape: A Provisional Status Report by Kruger, et al.  This report was developed as part of the African Strategy for Fundamental and Applied Physics (ASFAP).  One of the things we might want to do is ignite ASFAP-like processes for all the cognate fields that make up biophysics.  This will be amongst the topics we hope to discuss in September.

Registration and Abstract submission: https://events.saip.org.za/event/238/

This webinar is co-organised by EU Africa RISE, in collaboration with the Economic Development Board of Mauritius, the Economic Development Board of Madagascar, and the Regional Multidisciplinary Centre of excellence.

Date: 29 June 2023

Geared towards innovating and digital transformation, Africa RISE experts will speak about digitalisation projects in Rwanda, Eswatini, Namibia, Seychelles, and Botswana through this peer-to-peer learning experience on digitalisation.

Click here to register

Confirm your presence at this event by sending a confirmation email to ndanduw@eu-africa-rise.com.

Date: 27 June 2023

Talk1：Highly resolved resorbable scaffolds for biomedical applications

Speaker: Vincent Salles

Abstract

Research in the biomedical field is important in helping to diagnose and treat diseases. With the aim of doing away with animal experiments as far as possible, researchers are trying to develop devices that enable in-vitro studies to be carried out. In recent years, 3D developments have been carried out to create more complex systems that are more representative of what actually happens in the body. 3D printing has played an important role in this development, with a proliferation of additive manufacturing techniques in the last decade. In this presentation, I propose to start from a general framework and talk about the main advantages and disadvantages of the various 3D printing techniques. Among the different additive manufacturing techniques developed so far, direct write electrospinning (DWE) is one of the few techniques that can prepare 3D microstructured scaffolds with high deposition resolution. We will see what kind of functional materials can be prepared with this process and in what extent it can help to develop new implants and in-vitro models.

Biography

Dr. Vincent Salles is an Associate-Professor from the University of Lyon (France). He received his Ph.D. degree in Materials Science from the University of Limoges, France, in 2006. Before becoming getting his full position of Associate-Professor, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Lyon, from 2007 to 2009. Since September 2021, he has been a visiting researcher in the LIMMS (Laboratory for Integrated Micro-Mechatronics Systems), an international research laboratory between CNRS and the University of Tokyo, Japan. A large part of his activities have been dedicated to functional materials derived from electrospinning process, mainly for biomedical applications in the last years. He has been recently studying a combination between electrospinning and 3D-printing. This technique, named Direct-writing electrospinning, aims to create new functional scaffolds using resorbable polymers. Over the last decade, he has been PI of several regional and national projects.

Talk2：Drawn-on-Skin Bioelectronics for In Situ, Motion Artifact-Less Physiological Sensing and Customizable Treatments

Speaker: Faheem Ershad

Abstract

Extraction of physiological and physical signals from human skin for health monitoring, disease prevention, and treatment is critical to sustain the wellbeing of humans. Recent advances in wearable bioelectronics in the form of thin patches have suggested certain pathways. However, the existing wearable bioelectronics are susceptible to motion artifacts as they lack proper adhesion and conformal interfacing with the skin during motion. In this talk, I will present the ultra-conformal, customizable, and deformable drawn-on-skin (DoS) bioelectronics platform, which is resilient to motion artifacts and capable of providing point-of-care, in situ customizable therapy. The versatility of DoS bioelectronics is evident in the development of various devices, including thin-film transistors, strain sensors, temperature sensors, heaters, hydration sensors, and electrophysiological (EP) sensors. In a rat wound model, the application of electrical stimulation through customized DoS electrodes resulted in accelerated wound healing. Moreover, the utilization of DoS multielectrode arrays (MEAs), tailored to the unique anatomy of individuals, resulted in highly accurate detection of finger gestures. Overall, the in situ customizability and resistance to motion artifacts of DoS bioelectronics offer boundless opportunities for bioelectronics applications, paving the way for enhanced health monitoring and personalized therapies.

Biography

Faheem is a senior BME PhD student in the group of Prof. Cunjiang Yu at Penn State University. He was awarded the prestigious NSF Graduate Research Scholarship in honor of his outstanding undergraduate record. So far, he has published 21 papers, with four in Nature Electronics, one in Nature Communications, and three in Science Advances. Alongside a strong publication record, Faheem has continued to participate in several conferences. Throughout his Ph.D. career, he has accumulated >10 awards with notable achievements in the NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, ASME IMECE, and IEEE MEMS. His current research interest is in the development and applications of flexible/stretchable electronics for wearable/implantable health monitoring, disease treatment, and tissue engineering.

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Date: 23 June 2023

Talk: Nanomaterials Chemistry: Creating a Universe in a Grain of Sand

Speaker: Brian A. Korgel

Abstract

Chemical routes now exist to produce nanocrystal materials with a wide range of size, shape and composition.  These materials have characteristic dimensions that are at least 1,000 times smaller than a human hair and exhibit a wide range of unique properties due to their size. For example, semiconductor nanocrystals or quantum dots exhibit size-tunable optical properties that are useful for light-emitting and light-absorbing applications.  Semiconductor nanowires have attributes of polymers like mechanical flexibility combined with the useful electronic and optical properties of semiconductors in one material.  This presentation will highlight some of our work on the synthesis of silicon, germanium and lead halide perovskite nanomaterials, their assembly into superlattices and films, and their use in applications ranging from biological cell imaging to paper solar cells to lithium-ion batteries.

Biography

Professor Brian A. Korgel is the Rashid Engineering Regents Chair Professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. He directs the UT Energy Institute, the Center for a Solar Powered Future (SPF2050)—an Industry/University Research Center (IUCRC) funded by the National Science Foundation—and the Nanotechnologies area of the UT|Portugal program. He is an Associate Editor of the journal, Chemistry of Materials.  He works at the intersection of nano & mesoscopic materials chemistry and complex fluids, tackling problems in energy storage, chemical transformations, energy harvesting and conversion, and medicine. He is also an artist with a courtesy appointment as Professor in the Department of Art & Art History at UT Austin, exploring collaboration, language and human-artificial intelligence/robot cohabitation.  He has published more than 300 papers and has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Alicante in Spain, the Université Josef Fourier in France and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.  He has co-founded two companies, Innovalight and Piñon Technologies, and received various honors including the Professional Progress Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and election into the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

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Date: 20 June 2023

Talk1: Remote sensing of photovoltaic scenarios: Techniques, applications and future directions

Speaker: Zhiling Guo

Abstract

Developing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems is an effective way to address the problems of limited fossil fuel reserves, soaring world energy demand and global climate change. The earth observation information provides a promising perspective for estimating the PV energy potential and understanding the status of the PV system development, which is critical for making scientifically sound and cost-optimal sustainable planning strategies. Remote sensing (RS), a versatile technology that captures surface information at various temporal and spatial scales, is now widely applied in different fields of the PV development. However, despite the rapid growth of related research, there is still a lack of comprehensive review on the application of RS to different stages (i.e., planning, site selection, installation, maintenance, etc.) of the PV system development. We systematically reviews the research progress of RS technology applied throughout various stages of the PV system development. The reviewed literatures are organized as four major parts: i) PV potential estimation, ii) PV array detection, iii) PV fault monitoring and diagnosis, and iv) other cross-cutting areas where RS can facilitate PV development. We conclude that RS technology can bridge the gap caused by the traditional methods in effective assessment of resource potential, large-scale data analysis and PV health monitoring, which can provide strong support in assisting the planning, management, and decision-making of PV systems. Finally, we discuss future challenges and opportunities for RS technology in PV applications for advancing the research in this area.

Biography

Dr. Guo Zhiling received his Ph.D. degree from the Space Information Center of the University of Tokyo in 2020. He worked as a researcher at the University of Tokyo, a senior researcher at LocationMind Co., Ltd. Japan, and a researcher at the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Dr. Guo has been engaged in research in the fields of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and energy systems. He has conducted a large amount of solid and original research on topics such as the spatiotemporal characteristics analysis of spatial patterns. He was the principal investigator of several grant projects, including the JSPS Special Research Fellowship and the JSPS Grants-in-Aid for Young Scientists. During his academic career, he has published multiple papers in high-level international academic journals. His research achievements have been recognized with several major awards, such as the 2021 Smart 50 Award, the 2021 R&D 100 Award for global projects, etc.

Talk2 : Global transition of operational carbon in residential buildings since the millennium

Speaker: Minda Ma

Abstract

The residential sector is the third-largest energy consumer and emitter globally and as such is at the forefront of the energy transition and net-zero emissions pathway. To accelerate the pace of decarbonization of residential buildings, this study is the first to present a bottom-up assessment framework integrated with the decomposing structural decomposition method to evaluate the emission patterns and decarbonization process of residential building operations in 56 countries spanning 12 regions worldwide from 2000 to 2020. The results show that (1) the operational carbon intensity of global residential buildings has maintained an annual decline of 1.2% over the past two decades, and energy intensity and average household size have been key to this decarbonization; (2) end uses have held an increasingly important role in decarbonizing global residential buildings (-46.3 kgs of carbon dioxide per household per year), with the largest contributors being appliances(38.3%), followed by space heating (21.2%) and lighting (12.6%); and (3) although the total decarbonization of global residential buildings was 7.1 gigatons of carbon dioxide and achieved a decarbonization efficiency of 9.4% per yr during this time period, regional decarbonization inequality and uneven distribution remained quite large, especially in emerging economy regions. Moreover, the uncertainty and robustness of the assessment framework are also tested, and adaptive high decarbonization strategies are further proposed for global residential buildings. Overall, this study reviews and compares global and regional performances and motivations for decarbonization to support national decarbonization efforts to reach net-zero emissions and advance the global residential building sector toward a carbon-free century.

Biography

Dr Minda Ma is conducting the postdoctoral research in Building Technology & Urban Systems Division, Energy Technologies Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and his research interests focus on Building Energy, Building Decarbonization, Building Electrification, Climate Change, etc.

From 2020 to 2022, Dr. Ma held the position of Shuimu Tsinghua Scholar at Tsinghua University. Furthermore, he has been recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher by Elsevier for three consecutive years: 2021, 2022, and 2023. In 2019, Minda was the recipient of the Qian Yi Environmental First Award, awarded by Dr. Yi Qian (Academician of CAS). Additionally, he was honored as a fellow of the Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship program.

During Minda’s tenure at Tsinghua, he spearheaded several projects, including the National Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science (21CJY030), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (First-class funding, 2020M680020), and the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (8224085). These projects focused on conducting carbon-neutral scenario analysis and pathway modeling for China’s building sector.

At Berkeley Lab, Minda is currently at the helm of the International Building Emission Dataset (IBED), a multi-regional dataset that aims to monitor energy trends, emissions mitigation, and building stock on a global scale. Some of IBED’s noteworthy applications have been featured in international journals like Advances in Applied Energy (2023), Resources, Conservation and Recycling (2022), and Applied Energy (2022 & 2023).

Minda currently holds the position of a young editorial member for Applied Energy (JCR Q1) and Petroleum Science (JCR Q1). Additionally, he serves as an associate editor or section editor for international journals, including Frontiers in Energy Research (JCR Q2), Frontiers in Built Environment, and Buildings (JCR Q2). In the capacity of a session chair, he has organized the international conferences Applied Energy CUE2020, CUE2021, and CUE2022 over the past three years.

Talk3 : Deep neural operators for Carbon Neutrality

Speaker: Lu Lu

Abstract

Deep learning has achieved remarkable success in diverse applications; however, its use in scientific applications has emerged only recently. In this talk, I will introduce a less known but powerful result that a NN can accurately approximate any nonlinear operator. This universal approximation theorem of operators is suggestive of the potential of NNs in learning operators of complex systems. I will present the deep operator network (DeepONet) to learn various operators that represent deterministic and stochastic differential equations. I will demonstrate the effectiveness of DeepONet and its extensions to the multiphysics and multiscale problem of geological carbon sequestration for carbon neutrality. Deep learning models are usually limited to interpolation scenarios, and I will quantify the extrapolation complexity and develop a complete workflow to address the challenge of extrapolation for deep neural operators.

Biography

Lu Lu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics and Data Science at Yale University. Prior to joining Yale, he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at University of Pennsylvania from 2021 to 2023, and an Applied Mathematics Instructor in the Department of Mathematics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 2020 to 2021. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in Applied Mathematics at Brown University in 2020, master’s degrees in Engineering, Applied Mathematics, and Computer Science at Brown University, and bachelor’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Economics, and Computer Science at Tsinghua University in 2013. His current research interest lies in scientific machine learning, including theory, algorithms, software, and its applications to engineering, physical, and biological problems. His broad research interests focus on multiscale modeling and high performance computing for physical and biological systems. Lu has received the 2022 U.S. Department of Energy Early Career Award, and 2020 Joukowsky Family Foundation Outstanding Dissertation Award of Brown University.

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Date: 16 June 2023

Talk: Layered Materials: Characterization and Applications

Speaker: Andrea C. Ferrari

Abstract

Graphene and layered materials (LMs) have great potential in photonics and optoelectronics, where the combination of their optical and electronic properties can be fully exploited, and the absence of a bandgap in graphene can be beneficial. The linear dispersion of the Dirac electrons in graphene enables ultra-wide-band tunability as well as gate controllable third-harmonic enhancement over an ultra-broad bandwidth, paving the way for electrically tuneable broadband frequency converters for optical communications and signal processing. Saturable absorption is observed as a consequence of Pauli blocking and can be exploited for mode-locking of a variety of ultrafast and broadband lasers. Graphene integrated photonics is a platform for wafer scale manufacturing of modulators, detectors and switches for next generation datacom and telecom. Heterostructures based on LMs have properties different from those of their individual constituents and of their three dimensional counterparts. These can be exploited in novel light emitting devices, such as single photon emitters, and tuneable light emitting diodes. LMs have potential for quantum technologies, as scalable sources of single photon emitters (SPEs). Quantum emitters in LMs hold potential in terms of scalability, miniaturization, integration. Generation of quantum emission from the recombination of indirect excitons in heterostructures made of different LMs is a path with enormous potential. I will overview production, characterization and application of graphene and LMs, focusing optical and quantum applications.

Biography

Andrea Ferrari is Professor of nanotechnology at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Pembroke College. He founded and directs the Cambridge Graphene Centre and the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Graphene Technology. He chairs the management panel and is the Science and Technology Officer of the European Graphene Flagship. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the American Physical Society, the Materials Research Society, the Institute of Physics, the Optical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, The European Academy of Sciences, the Academia Europaea, and he received numerous awards, such as the Royal Society Brian Mercer Award for Innovation, the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award, the Marie Curie Excellence Award, the Philip Leverhulme Prize, The EU-40 Materials Prize.

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Dates: 12 – 14 July 2023

Venue: Hilton Hotel Garden Inn, Gaborone Botswana

The event, is co- organised by EU Africa RISE, Switch to Green and SADC Business Council who have collaborated with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the Government of the Republic of Botswana.

Geared towards innovating and changing the way we look at [plastic and e-] waste, TRANSFORM through Circular Economy will enable participants to exchange information and experience on circularity models as well as supporting [regional] policy formulation, so that they become more competitive, agile, open and innovative by leveraging circularity and transform countries into smart societies.

The TCE-EPR2023 will bring together global and regional leaders from government, business and international organizations to deliberate on new ways of shaping, accelerating and sustaining the Circular Economy and EPR revolution whilst showcasing the role of the SADC Business Council-led Circular Economy EPR Platform.

We kindly invite you to consult the event concept note (containing the tentative event programme) as well as the official invitation letter. Please feel free to also consult our event page where you can connect remotely to the event. Confirm your presence at this event by registering on the event page.

Contact this email for more information: ndanduw@eu-africa-rise.com

Date: 13 June 2023

Talk1: The role of cooperativity in electrocatalysis

Speaker: Reshma R Rao

Abstract

One of the most remarkable catalytic reactions observed in nature is the oxidation of water at Photosystem II, which harnesses energy from sunlight. The mechanism for water oxidation involves the accumulation of multiple oxidizing equivalents in close proximity, which triggers the crucial O-O bond formation step. Such a mechanism, relying on ‘redox levelling’ of neighbouring centres has been increasingly shown to be at play on a number of photo and electrocatalysts. In this talk, I will present developments in time-resolved optical spectroscopy to identify the density of different oxidized species as a function of potential and establish how this controls the reaction kinetics. As an example, monolayers of molecular iridium dimers and heterogeneous amorphous iridium oxides will be compared for the water oxidation reaction. For the catalysts investigated, three redox transitions can be observed. Although similar oxidized species are found to accumulate at water oxidation potentials, the correlation between the density of oxidized species and water oxidation kinetics is very different. On molecular catalysts, there is limited interaction between isolated iridium centres, and thus the intrinsic activity per oxidized site is invariant with potential. On the contrary, for heterogeneous oxide catalysts, a high degree of cooperative effects results in faster kinetics with increasing accumulation of oxidized species on the surface. Therefore, through this work, I will highlight the power of operando time-resolved spectroscopy in unravelling the critical role of oxidized species in facilitating water oxidation kinetics and the implications of this on catalyst design.

Biography

Reshma obtained her PhD in 2019 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she worked with Professor Yang Shao-Horn on understanding the fundamental processes that occur at oxide-water interfaces under electrochemical conditions that are relevant for water splitting. In January 2020, she moved to Imperial College London, as a Research Associate in Professor James Durrant’s group in the Department of Chemistry; from 2021 she was also co-advised by Dr. Ifan Stephens in the Department of Materials. Since October 2022, Reshma holds a Royal Academy of Engineering research fellowship at the Department of Materials, Imperial College London. Her research interests include understanding (electro)chemical reactivity at solid-gas and solid-liquid interfaces using operando spectroscopic techniques.

Talk2: Electrochemical characterization of well-defined and nanostructured copper catalysts

Speaker: Paula Sebastián Pascual

Abstract

Copper-based materials are promising electrocatalysts for different energy conversions reactions such as the electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) into valuable fuels and chemicals. Electrocatalytic reactions are highly sensitive to the surface structure and composition. Thus, establishing the voltammetric fingerprint of well-defined single facets, as well as finding methods to determine the number and surface site geometry on nanostructured copper catalysts, is essential to assess the structure-performance relationships in electrocatalysis. My research has focused on investigating how the pH and the interactions with the electrolyte affect the electrochemical behaviour and structure of the Cu-aqueous electrolyte interface. We used cyclic voltammetry in combination with other electrochemical approaches, such as the CO displacement technique and the laser-induced temperature technique, as well as DFT calculations, to shed light into the distribution of the surface charge and adsorbates at different potential values. We have also investigated the voltammetric lead underpotential deposition (UPD) on copper, as a tool to determine the distribution of facets and the electroactive surface area (ECSA) of multifaceted copper surfaces, which is relevant to design well-defined nanostructured catalysts. Lastly, we have used the lead UPD technique to address the ECSA of copper bimetallic nanostructures prepared by electrodeposition, in order to address their intrinsic electrocatalytic properties.

Biography

Paula Sebastián-Pascual obtained her Ph.D. in Electrochemistry from both the University of Alicante and the University of Barcelona in 2018. During her Ph.D. she investigated the electrochemical behavior of Pt, Au, and Ir single crystalline electrodes, and the use of ionic liquids for the electrodeposition of metallic nanostructures.  She is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Copenhagen, where she investigates different methods to electrochemically characterize Cu singles crystalline electrodes and nanostructured Cu, for CO2 and CO reduction.  She also investigates the use of green solvents such as deep eutectic solvents to prepare bimetallic nanostructures for electrocatalysis. She is the recipient of a 2023 Villum Young Investigator grant awarded by the Velux Foundation in Denmark.

Talk3: Cation effects on hydrogen evolution: uncovering heroes and villains

Speaker: Mariana Monteiro

Abstract

The primary role of the electrolyte in electrocatalysis is to conduct ionic charge between electrodes, however, previous studies showed that the species dissolved in the electrolyte are not mere spectators and can significantly steer the reaction´s activity and selectivity. In this seminar, it will be discussed how cations impact the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acidic and alkaline media. Through cyclic voltammetry experiments we show for acidic media, that electrolytes containing acidic and weakly hydrated cations favour the water reduction reaction. Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Ab-initio Molecular Dynamics (AIMD) simulations suggest that this happens because these species lower the barrier for water dissociation and accumulate more at the interface. The consequences of that for other electrocatalytic processes will be discussed. Regarding HER in alkaline media, we will further uncover how weakly hydrated cations may go from heroes to villains depending on the nature of the substrate. These effects are further investigated by resolving the structure of the electrochemical interface at acidic and alkaline pH, using Surface X-ray Diffraction. Overall, in this contribution, we exemplify through experiments and simulations the sometimes-ambiguous role of metal cations on HER, the consequences of such effects for other relevant reactions, which cation properties are important when designing an optimal electrolyte for these systems.

Biography

Mariana is a Brazilian scientist, currently leading the Electrode-Electrolyte Interfaces Group at the Interface Science Department of the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society. She studied Chemical Engineering at the Federal University of Sao Joao Del-Rei, Brazil, and at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. She has a MSc in Advanced Materials and Processes (with honors) from the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, where she also worked as research assistant for 1.5 years in the Chair of Chemical Reaction Engineering, and the Chair of Surface Science and Corrosion. She received her PhD degree in Electrochemistry (cum laude) from Leiden University in 2022. Her thesis focused on understanding the electrode-electrolyte interface during electrocatalytic reactions as CO2 reduction, hydrogen evolution, CO oxidation, using various techniques as Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy (SECM), (R)RDE, bulk electrolysis, among others, bridging fundamental and applied research. Her thesis received the 2023 Dutch Catalysis Society PhD Prize and the 2022 AmCEl PhD Award. Mariana has published over 14 1st author papers, including contributions in Nature Catalysis, Nature Communications and JACS. In 2022 she joined the Interface Science Department of the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society as a postdoc focusing on SECM, bipolar membranes and operando investigations during ammonia electrooxidation. Shortly after she was awarded a Minerva Fast-Track Fellowship from the Max Planck Society to start her own research group on “Electrode-Electrolyte Interfaces”.

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Date: 9 June 2023

Time: 7:30 – 9:30 PM (GMT+2)

Speaker: Dr. Saleh Khamlich, Department of Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa.

Online Zoom application
Seminar pre-registration link: https://lnkd.in/gCtpf6At

Seminar Link: https://lnkd.in/gmv-ErCg

Meeting ID: 817 5964 1755
Passcode: 422746

Dates: 16 – 18 January 2024

Application deadline: 31 July 2023

The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in partnership with l’Académie Hassan II des Sciences and Techniques is pleased to announce the 2^nd U.S.-Africa Frontiers of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Symposium. The upcoming meeting will be held on January 16-18, 2024 in Rabat, Morocco. The call for applications is now open for scientists, engineers, and medical professionals from the United States and African Union member countries to submit their application online before the deadline of July 31, 2023, 11:59 PM ET (Washington D.C. time).
For questions regarding the upcoming symposium or the application process, please e-mail us at: USAfricaSTEM@nas.edu. For more information on the U.S.-Africa Frontiers Program, please visit our program website.

This program brings together outstanding early/mid-career scientists, engineers, and medical professionals (within 15 years of most recent degree), from the United States and the member countries of the African Union for a series of symposia to discuss exciting advances and opportunities in their fields. The goal of these meetings is to enhance scientific exchange and dialogue among early-to-middle career researchers in African countries and the United States, including the African science diaspora, and through this interaction facilitate research collaboration within and beyond the region. Another unique aspect of the Frontiers events is the pluri-disciplinarity of the participants’ backgrounds and research interests.

One of the main objectives of this Frontiers symposium is to advance our understanding of cutting-edge S&T trends in the U.S. and Africa and to foster dialogue and collaborations across disciplines. The upcoming symposium will address the following topics: 

• Session I: Human-Technology Interaction
• Session II: Sensing Technologies
• Session III: Green Technologies for Climate Adaptation
• Session IV: Vaccine Manufacturing
• Session V: One Health

We strongly encourage young scientists, engineers and medical professionals working on related research to apply to this truly pluri-disciplinary meeting, as long as they fulfill the eligibility criteria. Please also distribute to your interested colleagues and your network. Each general participant will also have the opportunity to present his or her research during poster sessions. Travel of selected participants will be covered. More details on the upcoming symposium, organization, and program can be found on the symposium webpage.

Date: 9 June 2023

Talk: Bottom-up Molecular Nanographenes: Synthesis and Properties

Speaker: Nazario Martín

Abstract

Chirality is an important and fascinating concept which has not been properly addressed in carbon nanoscience. We have previously reported the first inherently chiral bilayer nanographene with a helicene linker, both as the racemate and the M isomer. Helical bilayer nanographenes (HBNGs) are chiral π-extended aromatic compounds consisting in two π-π stacked hexa-benzocoronenes (HBC) joined by a helicene, thus resembling van der Waals layered 2D materials. Recently, we have synthesized and compared [9]HBNG, [10]HBNG and [11]HBNG helical bilayers endowed with [9], [10] and [11]helicenes embedded in their structure, respectively. Interestingly, the helicene length defines the overlapping degree between the two HBCs (number of benzene rings involved in π-π interactions between the two layers), being of 26, 14 and 10 benzene rings, respectively, according to the X-ray analysis. More interesting, this overlapping also controls some of the properties.

Biography

NAZARIO MARTíN is Full Professor of Organic Chemistry at UCM and vice-director of the IMDEA-Nanociencia Institute. He is Dr. h.c. by La Havana and Castilla La Mancha Universities and member of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Spain (RAC) and Royal Academy of Doctors of Spain. His research interests are focused on molecular and supramolecular chemistry of carbon nanostructures in the context of chirality, electron transfer and biomedical and photovoltaic applications. He has published over 600 peer reviewed papers and supervised 50 theses. He was Editor-in-Chief of J. Mater. Chem. (A, B and C. 2015-2019). He held the Presidency of the Confederation of Scientific Societies of Spain (COSCE, 2015-19) and the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry (2006-2012). He held the ERC Advanced Grant “Chirallcarbon” (2013-2019). Prof. Martín has been distinguished with several awards. Among them, the Gold Medal and Research Award of the RSEQ, 2012; Jaime I Award in basic research, 2012 Miguel Catalán Award CM, 2015; Alexander von Humboldt Award in 2013; Richard E. Smalley Award in 2013; and the EuChems lecture in 2012. More recently, he has been granted with the Synergy Grant-ERC project “Tomatto” (2021-2027) as well as the Spanish National Award in Chemistry “Enrique Moles” given by the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation (MICINN) in 2020.

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Date: 8 June 2023

Title: Instrumented Indentation vs. Conventional Hardness Testing: 3 Key Advantages

Speaker: Jiri Nohava (Head of Product Competence & Lead Application Scientist, Anton Paar)

Overview

Many new applications in the material industry require thinner coatings and increased quality expectations, robustness and lower costs. However, when it comes to mechanical characterization of thin films, most conventional methods for hardness testing have reached their limits. These limitations have negatively impacted the fast and efficient development and production of thin films and coatings.

Anton Paar is proud to present a live webinar discussing new technologies enabling accurate and affordable hardness measurements of thin coatings as a solution to the limitations of conventional hardness testing.

Key Learning Objectives 

• Learn about the advantages of Instrumented Indentation
• Understand the limitations of conventional hardness testing and their negative implications on thin film characterization
• Real-life applications of hardness testing methods that can be performed more efficiently with next-generation instruments

Who Should Attend

• Coating Manufacturers
• Quality Engineers
• Laboratory Managers
• Research Scientists
• University Researchers

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Date: 6 June 2023

Talk1: Bioadhesive Electronics for Atraumatic Cardiac Monitoring and Pacing in Vivo

Speaker: Jue Deng

Abstract

Existing clinically-adopted bioelectronic implants predominantly rely on surgical suturing or electrode insertion into target tissues for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. However, these conventional approaches can cause tissue trauma during implantation and removal, potentially causing detrimental complications such as bleeding, tissue damage, and/or device failure. In this report, we will present Electrical Bioadhesives to achieve conformal, stable, and conductive interfaces between biological tissues with bioelectronic implants. By implementing this strategy in clinical applications, we will introduce Bioadhesive Electronics for atraumatic epicardial monitoring and stimulation of the heart, addressing the limitations associated with existing bioelectronic implants. We employ multi-material 3D printing to fabricate the bioadhesive pacing lead, which offers rapid atraumatic application and retrieval as well as robust mechanical and electrical interfacing with the heart. We will discuss the mechanical and electrical properties, biocompatibility, continuous epicardial monitoring and pacing capability, and rapid on-demand atraumatic application and removal of the bioadhesive pacing lead based on in vivo rat and porcine models. These findings may offer a promising platform for atraumatic bioelectronic diagnosis and treatment, potentially inspiring future advancements of bioadhesive electronics.

Biography

Jue Deng will join Academy for Engineering and Technology at Fudan University as a tenure-track Assistant Professor. He completed his Ph.D. in the Department of Macromolecular Science at Fudan University, and pursued postdoctoral training in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dr. Deng has been recognized with various awards, including Shanghai Excellent Young Scientist Grant, Dow Sustainable Innovation Award, Shanghai Outstanding Graduate Award, Bioengineering Travel Award etc. He has published 40 papers in esteemed journals such as Nature Materials, Nature Protocols, Nature Communications, Advanced Materials etc. His interests primarily focus on the development of minimally-invasive interventional medical devices for advanced diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Talk2: Bioinspired Soft Elastic Metamaterials for Reconstruction of Natural Hearing

Speaker: Hanchuan Tang

Abstract

In the natural hearing process of normal people, external sounds including speech, music, and different tones are collected by the external ear and stimulate the eardrum. Then the sounds (vibrations) propagate to the cochlea through the filtering and amplification (including active and passive) of auditory ossicles. In the cochlea, each specific frequency of sound activates a corresponding specific group of hair cells at a specific place, which is called place coding. Meanwhile, each hair cell is triggered synchronizing the real-time changes of external sound (mainly mid-to-low frequencies), which is called rate coding. Thus, sound signals are transmitted to auditory nerves through hair cells in the cochlea and then to the corresponding regions in the auditory cortex through auditory nerves. However, globally 1/5 of people are suffering from some degree of hearing loss, estimated 430 million of whom belong to moderate or higher severity. The deficiency of hair cells is the main reason for severe or profound hearing loss. Cochlear implants (CI) brought functional hearing to numerous hearing loss patients by generating electric currents to directly stimulate the auditory nerve. CI users usually have adequate communication abilities in a relatively quiet environment but can hardly distinguish different tones or appreciate music, i.e., they cannot listen as naturally as a normal person. This report is about a bioinspired soft elastic metamaterial (BSEM). Through utilizing soft materials as matrix and reasonable structure design of metamaterials, the whole size of BSEM can be reduced to several centimeters, with up to 168 frequency channels that cover the audible range of 150 Hz ~ 12000 Hz, promising a natural hearing effect.

Biography

Hanchuan Tang is a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Integrated Circuits, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. His research interests are flexible metamaterials and soft robots for biomedical applications. He is the guest editor of the special issue of Micromachines. He has published 8 articles in National Science Review, Nature Communications, Advanced Functional Materials, Advanced Science, etc. He has been granted 6 invention patents. He has presided over or participated in 7 projects including the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Talk3：Vascular interventional magnetic robot

Speaker: Liu Wang

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases such as ischemic stroke due to thrombotic occlusion and hemorrhagic stroke due to ruptured aneurysm are among the leading causes of death and disability in humans. However, the traditional mechanical guidewires currently used for vascular interventional procedures have fixed tips and poor ability to navigate in complex vascular networks. Doctors need to manually twist the guide wire in a near-X-ray environment, suffering from radiation. Recently, magnetically controlled robots that can be remotely controlled by magnetic fields are expected to play an important role in vascular interventional operations. The speaker will first introduce the magnetically controlled guidewire robot used in the thrombus removal surgery for ischemic stroke. By establishing a nonlinear slender rod theory describing the large magnetic deformation of the guide wire robot, the analysis of the large deformation of the guide wire and the control magnetic field will be given. An optimal design method to maximize the working space of the guide wire is proposed. Secondly, the speaker will introduce the magnetic fiber robot for aneurysm embolization surgery. By controlling the external magnetic field, the robot can achieve elongation and curling shape changes, helical propulsion in the flowing blood, and enter the aneurysm to complete embolization. Through in vitro simulation and animal (rabbit) in vivo experiments, the successful embolization of target blood vessels was achieved. Two types of magnetically controlled robots are expected to provide safer and more effective solutions for human stroke treatment in the future.

Biography

Dr. Liu Wang is a Professor in Department of Modern Mechanics at University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). He received bachelor’s degree from USTC in 2014 and doctoral degree from University of Texas at Austin in 2019.  After that, I worked at MIT as a postdoctoral associate. His research is focused on soft machines and flexible structures for healthcare applications, including soft robots, soft materials, flexible devices, and 3D printing. He has published more than 40 SCI papers (22 are published as first/corresponding author) such as Nature Biomedical Engineering, Science Advances, Nature Communications (4), Advanced Materials, PNAS, etc. His works have been widely cited more than 4200 times. He is serving on Extreme Mechanics Letters Early Career Advisory Board and guest editor for Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering. He received Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2023. Homepage: https://faculty.ustc.edu.cn/liuwang/

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Date: 2 June 2023

Talk1: Towards Atomically-Precise Nanoparticle Synthesis

Speaker: Matthew R. Jones

Abstract

Seed-mediated synthesis strategies, in which small nanoparticle precursors are added to a growth solution to initiate heterogeneous nucleation, are among the most ubiquitous, simple, and productive methodologies for generating well-defined colloidal anisotropic nanostructures. However, the size, structure, and chemical properties of the seeds remain poorly understood, which partially explains the lack of mechanistic understanding of many particle growth reactions. Here, we identify an atomically-precise gold cluster as the majority component of the seed solution that has been widely used in anisotropic gold nanoparticle syntheses over the last two decades. Mass spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy allow for the assignment of the cluster as having a 32 atom Au core with 8 halide ligands and 12 neutral ligands constituting a bound ion pair between a halide and the cationic surfactant: Au32X8[AQA+•X-]12 (X = Cl, Br; AQA = alkyl quaternary ammonium). Ligand exchange is dynamic and versatile, occurring on the order of minutes and allowing for the formation of 48 distinct mixed-ligand clusters. Anisotropic nanoparticle syntheses seeded with solutions enriched in Au32 show narrower size distributions and fewer impurity particle shapes, indicating the importance of this cluster as a precursor to the growth of well-defined nanostructures. These results establish the importance of characterizing structures on the ~1 nm length scale for understanding nanosynthesis mechanisms and points towards a future with atomic control over colloidal growth reactions.

Biography

Matt Jones is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science & Nanoengineering at Rice University. The expertise of his research group covers the fields of inorganic nanoparticle synthesis, surface chemistry, liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy, and nanoscale self-assembly. Matt is known for discovering an atomically-precise gold nanocluster as a precursor in the synthesis of anisotropic nanostructures and developing methods to assemble nanoparticles into chiral superlattice phases for the high-throughput fabrication of plasmonic metamaterials. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the Packard Fellowship for Science & Engineering, an NSF CAREER award, a Victor K. LaMer Award Finalist, an Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship, and an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. He graduated from Carneige Mellon University with B.S. degrees in both Materials Science and Biomedical Engineering, he received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University under the guidance of Chad Mirkin, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship with Paul Alivisatos at UC Berkeley before starting his independent career at Rice.

Talk2: Rational Composition and Structure Designs for High Performance Li-ion batteries

Speaker: Tongchao Liu

Abstract

Since its birth nearly three decades ago, lithium-ion battery (LIB) has changed all aspects of our life, from portable electronics, electric vehicles (EVs) to large-scale energy storage systems and the emerging electric flight applications. Currently, the bottleneck of the energy density of LIB is set by the intercalation cathode materials, which has been a significant push to develop high energy density and low-cost cathodes in response to rapidly expanding market. In this talk, I will focus on the identification of key failure modes and development of mitigation strategies for facilitating the future application of battery technologies. I will present some insights into the failure mechanism of battery materials that differ from the existing paradigms. Further, I will discuss how we can utilize rational composition and structure design to improve energy density, battery life without compromising safety, speed up battery charging, and reduce the cost of batteries.

Biography

Dr. Tongchao Liu is currently an assistant chemist at Argonne National Laboratory. He has over 10-years of research experience in designing and synthesizing multifunctional materials for energy storage and utilizing cutting-edge characterization techniques to elucidate in-depth mechanistic understanding of the relationship between structures and performance, and to provide guidance and approaches to design and synthesize better battery materials with higher energy density and improved safety. Dr. Liu held 5 US patents and published more than 90 research papers published in numerous prestigious international academic journals including “Nature (3)”, “Nature Energy (3)” “Nature Nanotechnology”, “Nature Sustainability”, “Nature Communications (6)”, “Advanced Materials”, and “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences”. Aside from academic achievements, he is actively involved in scientific activities serving as editors for Nano Energy and Materials Today Energy and Young Advisory Board Members for Carbon Energy, International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing and Carbon Neutralization.

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Dates: 30 May – 1 June 2023

AMSIC leadership is pleased to announce that the Algeria-France bilateral and international Workshop addressing Emerging Separation Technologies for Water Treatment and Air Filtration will be held in Algiers, May 30-June 1, 2023.

This event is jointly organized by

• ANVREDET (host institution, Algeria’s national agency of technology transfer)
• Institut Europeen des Membranes (IEM) and Chaire of UNESCO-SIMEV, in France
• African Membrane Society

Speakers and panelists who will contribute can view the Technical Program in the “Catalogue Complet…” document.

This event is chaired by Dr Nadjib DROUICHE, ANVREDET General Director; and Dr Wassila BOULAICHE who’s leading ANVERDET’ Innovation division has been coordinating the overall effort.  She attended the Q&A session during our last general AMSIC meeting.

Last but not least, other AMSIC members, Prof Raja BEN AMAR, Prof Marc HERAN and Dr Sara OUALI have played a significant role in creating the content for this ambitious program.   

A special thank goes to UN Project Manager Soumana GAGARA (Zou) for making the effort to join us, despite a very busy schedule.

We are fully indebted to all AMSIC members in/from Algeria and elsewhere who will be contributing to this workshop in Algiers.

View the catalogue with programme
View the flyer 

Date: 26 May 2023

Talk: Frugal Science: Exploring Sub-Nanometer Scales using Droplets

Speaker: Martin Thuo

Abstract

Liquids on surfaces, either as droplets or adsorbed films, embody both complexity and simplicity and, are erroneously portrayed as information poor or worse as an inconvenience. Thermodynamically, however, droplets capture surface force balance hence are a fascinating tool in understanding sub-nanometer surface structures. This talk will highlight how a simple relation of Gibbs free energy between a droplet and a self-assembled monolayer can be used to reveal gaps in our understanding of these ‘simple’ systems. From the original work by Jacob Sagiv, the Whitesides-Porter discrepancy, to understanding superhydrophobic surfaces, we will explore the chemistry, challenges, and opportunities for new advances. Understanding the free energy minimized state of a droplet, we reveal complex interactions at the single carbon-carbon bond level and related conformational dynamics at the interface. Complimentary studies through surface sensitive sum-frequency generation and molecular electronics lead to strong indication that droplets are information rich under felicitous choice of conditions. This is an ultimate demonstration of frugal nanoscience!

Besides their use as probes, liquid droplets are also good synthons for nanomaterials synthesis. This will be highlighted through a discussion on liquid-derived synthons for graphene-coated metal oxides. Utilizing droplets, we synthesize materials that are otherwise challenging to make.

Biography

Martin Thuo is a Professor in the Departments of materials science & engineering at North Carolina state University and a co-host of the ICANX talks. Prior to NCSU, he was the Schafer professor at Iowa State University. He was also a Mary-Fieser (2009-2011) and NSEC (2011-2013) post-doctoral Fellow at Harvard University. He is the recipient of several awards including the ACS nano rising star, MSE excellence in research award, Lynn-Anderson research excellence award, Black & Veatch faculty fellowship, among others. His research interests encompass the general theme of frugal innovation through surface and interface thermodynamics.

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Dates: 12-15 June 2023

Theme: Magnifying the Solution

Similar to previous chapters (South African – 2020, East African – 2021 and West Africa – 2022), we will be running the North Africa – International Microscopy Workshop 2023 in an online format from the 12th – 15th of June 2023. Although the selected topics are based on a microscopy survey run in North Africa, we would like to invite all Postgraduate students, Researchers, Microscopists, Trade representatives and Scientific community from Africa and beyond. For more information of the previous international workshops and our activities, please visit our website: https://inmic.africa/

Topics that will be covered in the workshop include: Light Microscopy (LM) and Stereomicroscopy (SM), Laser Confocal Scanning Microscopy (LCSM), SEM (EBSD, BSE, SE, CL and FIB), TEM (STEM, SAED and HAADF-STEM), Scanning Probe Microscopy (e.g. AFM), Spectroscopy Supporting techniques (Raman,  Optical Spectroscopy and XRD-SAXS), Sample preparation techniques, Image analysis, as well as a few other suggested topics.

Student participation prizes worth 1000 USD are up for grabs.

Only registered participants will receive the details of the Zoom Conference webinar links to the different workshop sessions on the 7th of June, 2023.

Registration Deadline: 2 June 2023

Register at https://forms.office.com/r/chGuW3srW1 Please note this is a Free registration

View the flyer for more information

Date: 23 May 2023

Talk1: Scalable and Deterministic Templated Manufacturing of Micro- and Nanoscale Metallic Structures for Flexible and Biomedical Applications

Speaker: Wen-Di Li

Abstract

Deterministically fabricated metallic micro- and nanostructures play key roles in emerging optical and electronic devices. For example, metal grids with micro-sized linewidth are adopted as transparent electrodes in touch panels. Nanoscale noble metal disks and holes are used for plasmonic sensing of trace amounts of chemicals. The recent development in metamaterials and metasurfaces also heavily relies on metallic structures with deep-sub-micron sizes. Metallic electrodes down to microscale sizes hold the promise of interfacing the biological domain with electronics. Fabricating these metallic structures in a deterministic, reproducible, and scalable way is essential and fundamental for the development and wide adoption of the aforementioned functional devices. Conventional fabrication of metallic micro- and nanostructures mainly involves vacuum-based processes such as sputtering, evaporation, etc. These vacuum processes are typically expensive and time-consuming, and moreover, the thickness of metal deposited is usually limited. In this report, we will introduce our solution-processed scalable manufacturing strategy, which is based on templated electrodeposition and transfer, for fabricating metallic micro- and nanostructures on versatile rigid and flexible substrates, or even in a freestanding form, and demonstrate relevant device applications. This talk will also briefly introduce our progress on large-scale nanopatterning using laser interference and the development of commercial nanopatterning equipment products, as the enabling platform that supports our deterministic fabrication of metallic nanostructures.

Biography

Dr. Wen-Di Li is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Hong Kong, leading the Nanofabrication and Nanodevice Laboratory. Before joining HKU, Dr. Li received his bachelor’s and PhD degrees from Tsinghua University and Princeton University, respectively, and carried out post-doctoral research on advanced lithography for next-generation nanoelectronics at Hewlett-Packard Labs. His research interests mainly focus on high-resolution and scalable lithographic patterning and micro/nanofabrication techniques, such as sub-10 nm helium-ion-beam lithography, nanoimprint lithography, laser interference lithography, etc.,  from their fundamental mechanisms, process and instrumentation development, to practical applications in functional devices. The innovations from his team have been awarded gold medals twice at the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions and licensed to spin-off companies, to commercialize flexible electronic devices and nanopatterning equipment, respectively.

Talk2: Magnetism-coupled Flexible Devices

Speaker: Bingpu Zhou

Abstract

The emergence of flexible and wearable electronics is now leading a revolutionary era for real-time healthcare monitoring and human-machine interaction (HMI) in a more convenient and authentic manner. Sensors, as the bridge between human being and electrical terminals, are playing an important role to facilitate the interaction with the complex environment and promote the healthy development of our society. It is thus crucial to develop the high-performance flexible sensors for precise and effective conversion of multiple physiological signals from human beings. In this presentation, we will firstly introduce our recent studies of magnetism-coupled flexible sensors that aims to improve the sensing performance of flexible devices from linearity, sensitivity, to potential working range. Furthermore, taking advantage of the intrinsic “divergence” and “curl” property of magnetic vector, we will present that the coupling of magnetized component to flexible sensors can possibly enrich the function for future HMI and healthcare sensing. The design principle and optimization mechanism will be discussed in details.

Biography

Bingpu Zhou obtained his PhD degree from HKUST in 2015. He is currently an Associate Professor of Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering in University of Macau. Dr. Zhou also serves as the Associate Department Head of Department of Physics and Chemistry in Faculty of Science and Technology, and the Joint Assistant Professor in Function Hub at HKUST (GZ). Dr. Zhou is recipient of several grants including FDCT (Macau SAR), GDST (Guangdong, China) and FDCT-GDST joint projects. His group is mainly focusing on the optimization of novel flexible sensors with magnetism-mechanics-coupled effect, and functional surface/interface analysis. Some of the work have been published in Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional Materials, ACS Nano, and Nano Energy, etc. as first/corresponding author.

Talk3: Bioinspired small robotics for biomedical engineering

Speaker: Yajing Shen

Abstract

Micro/nano robots have attracted extensive interest in biomedical engineering owing to their great potential to work inside the body for diagnosis, drug delivery, minimally invasive surgery, and so on. In this talk, I’d like to share my ideas on the design and application of the bioinspired small robot for biomedical applications. This talk will start with a brief review of the development of micro/nano robotics followed by the trade-off and challenges to apply them in biomedical engineering. Then, I will introduce some potential solutions/efforts to address these existing challenges by giving some examples in our Lab, including the swimming microrobot, walking robot, and so on. I’d also like to share my own perspective on robotics and intelligence in biomedical engineering and discuss them with the audience.

Biography

Dr. Yajing Shen received the Ph.D. degree in 2012 and he is currently working as an Associate Professor in the Dept. of Electronic and Computer Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). He is also the director of the research center for smart manufacturing and a member of the robotics institute at HKUST. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, an Executive member of China Micro-nano Robotic Society, and the Associate Editor of IEEE Trans on Robotics (2019-22). Dr. Yajing’s main research interest is small/bioinspired robotics, intelligent systems, and their applications in biomedical engineering. He has published ~100 peer-reviewed journals/conferences, including the top multidisciplinary journal (e.g., Science Robotics, Nature Communications, PNAS), top specialized journal (e.g., IEEE Trans on Robotics), top international conference (e.g., ICRA, IROS), with widely reported by international media, e.g., Associated Press, Thomson Reuters, etc. Dr. Yajing has received serval academic awards, including the Best Manipulation Paper Award in IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in 2011, the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Japan Chapter Young Award in 2011, the Early Career Awards of Hong Kong UGC in 2014, and the Big-on-Small Award at MARSS 2018. He also received the “National Excellent Young Scientist Fund (Hong Kong & Macau)” for the topic “micro/nano robot” in 2019.

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Date: 19 May 2023

Talk: Green Data Communication: The Next Challenge after 5G

Speaker: Dieter Bimberg

Abstract

Since 2014 novel consumer applications like Netflix, Block Chain,… not known to appear at the horizon at that time have led to a huge increase of internet traffic of 60%/year, much more than then originally predicted by companies like Cisco. This increased use of the internet is increasing its electrical power consumption due to increased data traffic mostly inside data centers. New data centers have crossed the 500 MW level. 5G with its big jump in data speed will be another enabler for new services, like LIDAR and more we cannot think about yet, and will increase the energy consumption to an extent not further tolerable. More research has to be done on the energy-efficiency of data traffic on all hierarchy levels.

Inside data centers advanced design of active optical cables, their electronic driver and receiver circuits and the active photonic devices are suddenly in the focus, with the goal to minimize their combined power consumption. Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) for 200+ Gbit/s single fiber data transmission across OM5 multimode fiber with a record heat to bit rate ratio (HBR) of only 240 fJ/bit x wavelength @ 50Gbit/s developed in our labs are presented.

We recently discovered photon lifetime management to be the key to adopt the overall energy consumption to the bit rate of the data traffic (e.g. 25 Gb/s, 50 Gb/s,..). Completely novel GaAs VCSEL designs based on oxidizing apertures from dry etched holes filled subsequently with metal are presented.  Much better heat dissipation leads to much larger saturation currents, larger output power and larger 3 dB cut-off frequencies. Single mode multiplexing and easy polarized emission is enabled. The novel approach is covered by multiple worldwide patents.

Biography

Dieter Bimberg received the Ph.D. magna cum laude from Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany. He held a Principal Scientist position at the Max Planck-Institute for Solid State Research, Grenoble, France, until 1979. After serving as a Professor of electrical engineering, Technical University of Aachen, Germany, he assumed the Chair of Applied Solid-State Physics at Technical University of Berlin. He is the Founding Director of its Center of Nanophotonics. He hold guest professorships at the Technion, Haifa, U.C. Santa Barbara, CA, USA, and at Hewlett-Packard in Palo Alto, CA. He was Distinguished Adjunct Professor at KAU, Jeddah 2012-2018. In 2018 he assumed the directorship of the “Bimberg Chinese German Center for Green Photonics” of the Chinese Academy of Sciences at CIOMP, Changchun.

He is a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the EU Academy of Sciences, a Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the US Academies of Engineering and of Inventors, a Life Fellow of the American Physical Society and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, IEEE, and a fellow of Chinese Optical Society. He is recipient of multiple international awards, like the UNESCO Nanoscience Award, the Max-Born Award and Medal of IoP and DPG, the Heinrich-Welker-Award, the Nick Holonyak Jr. Award, the Oyo Buturi and MOC Awards of the Japanese Society of Applied Physics, the Jun-Ichi Nishizawa Medal and Award of IEEE, and the Stern-Gerlach Award of DPG, to mention a few. He received honorary doctorates of the University of Lancaster, UK, and the St. Petersburg University of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

He has authored more than 1500 papers, 71 patents and present applications, and six books. The number of times his research works has been cited exceeds 67,000 and his Hirsch factor is 113. His research interests include physics and technology of nanostructures, nanostructured photonic and electronic devices, and energy efficient data communication.

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Date: 16 May 2023

Talk1：Angstrom-scale channels made from 2D materials: Molecular Transport

Speaker: Radha Boya

Abstract

Understanding molecular transport in nano/angstrom scale channels has practical relevance in applications such as membrane desalination, blue energy, supercapacitors and batteries, as well as in understanding ionic flow through biological channels. Synthetic Å-channels are now a reality with the emergence of several cutting-edge bottom-up and top-down fabrication methods. In particular, the use of atomically thin 2D-materials and nanotubes as components to build fluidic conduits has pushed the limits of fabrication to the Å-scale. In this talk, I will discuss about angstrom (Å)-scale capillaries which are rectangular slit-shaped channels and are created by extracting one-atomic layer out of a crystal. The Å-capillary is an antipode of graphene and can be dubbed as “2D-nothing”. What is intriguing here is, the dimensions of the thinnest channels being comparable to the size of a water molecule.

The Å-capillaries have helped probe several intriguing molecular-scale phenomena experimentally, including: water flow under extreme atomic-scale confinement complete steric exclusion of ions, specular reflection and quantum effects in gas reflections off a surface, voltage gating of ion flows translocation of DNA. I will present ionic flows induced by stimuli (electric, pressure, concentration gradient) and discuss the importance of ionic parameters that are often overlooked in the selectivity between ions, along with ionic memory effects.

Biography

Prof. Radha Boya FRSC is a Professor, Royal Society University Research fellow and Kathleen Ollerenshaw fellow at the University of Manchester. After completing her PhD in India and a brief post-doctoral stint in the United States, she has secured a series of highly prestigious international research fellowships that have enabled her to rapidly build her research profile in the United Kingdom. She has published 60 research papers including several of these in Nature and Science journals. Radha was awarded an ERC starting grant, Analytical Chemistry Young Innovator award, Philip Leverhulme Prize in Physics, RSC Marlow award, UNESCO-L’Oréal International Rising Talent, L’Oréal UK & Ireland women in science fellow, and was recognized as an inventor of MIT Technology Review’s global “Innovators under 35” list.

Talk2：Material and Device Designs in Biomimetic Polymer Electronics

Speaker: Morteza Aramesh

Abstract

Nanoporous materials have emerged as promising platforms for directing immune cell behavior and have garnered considerable attention in the field of immunotherapy. These materials possess properties, including high surface area, tunable pore sizes, and controlled surface chemistry, enabling control over immune cell interactions and responses. Here we will give an overview of nanoporous materials as cell-instructive materials for immune cells and their applications in immunotherapy. Firstly, we discuss the design and fabrication of nanoporous materials, such as nanoporous ceramics and 3D printed polymer-based scaffolds, highlighting their ability to provide spatial confinement and mechanical cues to immune cells. The intricate interplay between nanopore size, surface properties, and topography is explored, emphasizing their influence on T cell activation and signaling. We highlight how nanoporous materials can be utilized to enhance the fitness and killing capacity of T cells, ultimately leading to improved immunotherapeutic outcomes. Lastly, we address the challenges and future

prospects of utilizing nanoporous materials as cell-instructive materials to effectively modulate the immune system for the treatment of various diseases, including cancer and infectious diseases.

Biography

Morteza Aramesh received his PhD in (bio)physics from the University of Melbourne, Australia, where he studied functionalization of nanomaterials for biomedical applications, such as single-DNA sensors. He was a Marie-Curie postdoctoral fellow at ETH Zurich (Switzerland), where he was working on biosensors development for single-cell profiling. He held a Group Leader and Lecturer position at ETH Zurich, where he and his team studied mechanobiological cues to engineer cellular functions in immune cells for immunotherapy applications. He is currently holding a tenure-track Assistant Professorship at the Biomedical Engineering division of the Uppsala University, working on 3D biomaterials development for engineering cellular response in immune cells.

Talk3：Enhanced Optical Spectroscopy for single molecule detection with Plasmonic Nanopores: Challenges and Prospects

Speaker: Denis Garoli

Abstract

Plasmonics is the discipline that investigates the use of collective oscillations of conductive electrons in metallic nanostructures, called surface plasmons (SPs), to realize a large set of devices to be applied in sensing, nanomedicine, metamaterials, energy harvesting, and many others. During the past decade, several examples of plasmonic platforms have been proposed for single-molecule studies. Among others, plasmonic nanopores, i.e., sub-100 nm apertures connecting two compartments, are finding more and more interest as a specific family of solid-state nanopores with multiple functionalities. Plasmonic nanopores are a particular family of nanocavities able to engineer and confine electromagnetic fields to subwavelength volumes. In the past decade, they have enabled sensing, optical trapping, and the investigation of physical and chemical phenomena at a few or single-molecule levels. This extreme sensitivity is possible thanks to the highly confined local field intensity enhancement, which depends on the geometry of plasmonic nanocavities. Indeed, suitably designed structures providing engineered local optical fields lead to enhanced optical sensing based on different phenomena such as surface enhanced Raman scattering, fluorescence, and Forster resonance energy transfer. Here, I illustrate our most recent results on plasmonic nanopores, with specific emphasis on the detection of single molecules.

Biography

Denis Garoli is Senior Researcher and Team Leader at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Genova (Italy). He received his Ph.D. degree in Space Science from the University of Padova in 2008, and his two Bachelor’s degrees (Physics and Biotechnology) from the same University in 2003 and 2011. Since 2014, he is Researcher at IIT where he is now coordinating three European Horizon grants focused on single molecule detection plasmonic platforms and DNA nanotechnology. He has published over 90 papers in numerous high-impact journals, including Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Comm., ACS Nano, Advanced Energy Mat., Nano Letters, etc. His research group currently focuses on the development of nanopore technologies for single molecule sequencing and DNA data storage. Moreover, he is coordinating several international collaborations in nanotechnology and plasmonics applied to DNA nanotechnology. As of April 2023, his research has been cited more than 2600 times and he has an H-index of 29.

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Date: 12 May 2023

Talk: The Water-Graphene Interface: a Quaint Quantum Couple

Speaker: Mischa Bonn

Abstract

The importance of water across many disciplines of science and engineering cannot be overstated. Water shapes our blue planet, is a unique solvent in chemistry, the ‘elixir of life’ in biology, a key corrosion agent in engineering, and a complex fluid with a multitude of anomalies in its phase behavior in physics. Despite its importance, a full understanding of water in its various forms and systems remains challenging. This is particularly true for interfacial water. Water interfaces differ from the bulk, in both their physical structure and chemical composition. A particularly fascinating interface is the water-graphene interface. Water has been reported to flow through carbon nanotubes (essentially curved graphene) with remarkably low resistance. Large-area graphene can serve as an electrochemical electrode, allowing detailed studies of electrochemical processes.

Surface-specific spectroscopy on water in contact with graphene enable elucidating electrochemistry at the molecular level, and investigating the origin of the anomalous friction between water as it flows along graphene.

Biography

Prof. Dr. Mischa Bonn joined the Max Planck Society in 2011 as one of the directors of the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, heading the division “Molecular Spectroscopy”. Mischa completed his MSc degree in physical chemistry – with highest honors – in 1993 at the University of Amsterdam (NL) and performed his PhD research (1993-1996) at the FOM-Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics in Amsterdam. After two postdoctoral stays, at the Fritz Haber Institute (1997-1999) and at Columbia University, New York (1998-1999), he became assistant professor in 1999 at Leiden University, to receive tenure and promotion to associate professor in 2002. In 2004, he returned to the Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics in Amsterdam as group leader. He has been an extraordinary professor at the University of Amsterdam since 2005 and an honorary professor at Mainz University since 2012. Mischa serves as Deputy Editor for The Journal of Chemical Physics, and as a member of the editorial advisory board of J. Am. Chem. Soc., amongst others. Mischa has won several prizes and awards for his work, including the Gold Medal from the Royal Dutch Chemical Society and the Van ’t Hoff Award from the Deutsche Bunsengesellschaft. His scientific interests focus on the development and application of laser-based (ultrafast) spectroscopies to advance our understanding of natural phenomena, specifically at interfaces – often involving Mischa’s favorite molecule: water.

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Date: 23 May 2023

Time: 6:00 pm (IST)

Talk: Renewable Energy Driven Decentralized Clean Water Production from Unconventional Sources

Speaker: Prof. Peng Wang

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Date: 31 May 2023

Time: 6:00 pm IST

Talk: Moving around in the nanoworld to do ‘work’

Speaker: Prof. JitKang Lim

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Date: 5 May 2023

Talk1：Smart Textiles for Personalized Health Care

Speaker: Jun Chen

Abstract

There is nothing more personal than healthcare. Health care should move from its current reactive and disease-centric system to a personalized, predictive, preventative, and participatory model with a focus on disease prevention and health promotion. As the world marches into the era of the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G wireless, technology renovation enables the industry to offer a more individually tailored approach to healthcare with better health outcomes, higher quality, and lower cost. However, empowering the utility of IoT-enabled technologies for personalized health care is still significantly challenged by the shortage of cost-effective on-body biomedical devices to continuously provide real-time, patient-generated health data. Textiles have been concomitant and played a vital role in the long history of human civilization. Incorporating sensing and therapeutic capabilities into everyday textiles could be a powerful approach to the development of personalized healthcare. Merging biomedical devices and textiles becomes increasingly important owing to the growing trend of IoT since it could serve as on-body healthcare platforms with incomparable wearing comfort. In this talk, I will introduce our current research on smart textiles for biomonitoring, therapeutics, power supply, and textiles body area network for personalized health care.

Biography

Dr. Jun Chen is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of California, Los Angeles. His research focuses on nanotechnology and bioelectronics for energy, sensing, and therapeutic applications in the form of smart textiles, wearables, and body area networks. He has published two books and 260 journal articles, with 160 of them being corresponding authors in Chemical Reviews (2), Chemical Society Reviews (2), Nature Materials, Nature Electronics (4), Nature Communications (4), Science Advances, Joule (3), Matter (10), Advanced Materials (12), and many others.  His works were selected as Research Highlights by Nature and Science seven times and covered by world mainstream media over 1,200 times in total, including NPR, ABC, NBC, Reuters, CNN, The Wall Street Journal‎, and Scientific American. He also filed 14 US patents, including one licensed. With a current h-index of 97 and 55 ESI Highly Cited Papers, Dr. Chen was identified to be one of the world’s most influential researchers in the field of Materials Science by the Web of Science Group. Beyond research, he is an associate editor of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Med-X, and Textiles. He also serves Advisory/ Editorial Board Members of Matter, Nano-Micro Letters, Materials Today Energy, Cell Reports Physical Science, and The Innovation. Among his many accolades are the V. M. Watanabe Excellence in Research Award, Nano Research Young Innovator Award, BBRF Young Investigator Award, ACS PMSE Young Investigator Award, MINE Young Investigator Award, Materials Today Rising Star Award, Advanced Materials Rising Star, ACS Nano Rising Stars Lectureship Award, Chem. Soc. Rev. Emerging Investigator Award,  Fellow of the International Association of Advanced Materials, UCLA Society of Hellman Fellows Award, Okawa Foundation Research Award, JMCA Emerging Investigator Award, Nanoscale Emerging Investigator Award, Frontiers in Chemistry Rising Stars, Highly Cited Researchers 2019/2020/2021/2022 in Web of Science, etc.

Talk2：Intelligent Fiber Electronics and Optoelectronics

Speaker: Wei Yan

Abstract

Fibers hold great societal relevance and impact on our everyday lives. They are essential building blocks of a broad spectrum of entities from the clothes on our body to aircraft constructs in space. While ubiquitous, fibers are typically made of single materials with simple functions. The capabilities of fibers have for the most part remained unchanged for millennia. In this talk, I will present unprecedented fibers integrating innovative metals, semiconductors, dielectrics and microchips, transforming these ancient yet largely underdeveloped forms into intelligent human-interfaced devices and smart systems for healthcare, biomedicine and security. Fiber electronics and optoelectronics are emerging, delivering value-added services for our society.

Biography

Dr. Wei Yan is a full professor at the State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, China. Prior to returning to China, he served as a Nanyang Assistant Professor jointly appointed at the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) and the School of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. He worked as a postdoctoral associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, and a Scientist at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland. He holds a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from EPFL (2017).

His research interests focus on next-generation human-interfaced flexible and soft fiber electronics for healthcare, medicine, energy, neuroscience, robotics and textiles. He has published many articles in high-profile international journals, such as Nature (1), Nature Nanotechnology (2), Advanced Materials (4), and Nature Communications (2). He is a co-inventor for 4 US patents. His research work has been highlighted by many prestigious media and journals, such as Nature, Science, Nature Nanotechnology, Nature News, Nature Podcast, National Science Review, MIT, EPFL, US Army, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Science and Technology Daily, China, China Science Daily, The Wall Street Journals, etc.

He has received many prestigious awards and honors, such as 35 Innovators under 35 of China, International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM) Young Scientist Medal, finalist for the Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year 2022 in Engineering and Technology (in total 30 finalists worldwide), the 1st Place, NASA Tech Briefs Design Competition (Aerospace/Defense Category) 2022, Professor René Wasserman Award in 2019 (the only winner) and IEEE Best Young Scientist Award in 2021.

He serves as a funding reviewer for the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Dutch Research Council, a member for the Editorial Advisory Board of “Nanotechnology” (IOP Science), an Editorial Board member of “Advanced Fiber Materials” (Springer Nature) and an Editorial Board member of “Med-X” (Springer Nature) and InfoMat (Wiley).

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Date: 5 May 2023

Time: 14:30 South African time (8:30 EDT)

Presented by: Federico Rosei
Full professer at Centre Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications,
Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique,
Varennes (QC) Canada

This presentation focuses on structure/property relationships in advanced materials, emphasizing multifunctional systems that exhibit multiple functionalities. Such systems are then used as building blocks for the fabrication of various emerging technologies. In particular, nanostructured materials synthesized via the bottom–up approach present an opportunity for future generations of low-cost manufacturing of devices. We focus in particular on recent developments in solar technologies that aim to address the energy challenge, including third-generation photovoltaics, solar hydrogen production, luminescent solar concentrators, and other optoelectronic devices.

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Meeting ID: 396 446 903 500 

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Date: 2 May 2023

Talk1：In-sensor computing for artificial vision

Speaker: Yang Chai

Abstract

According to the projection by Semiconductor Research Corporation and Semiconductor Industry Association, the number of sensor nodes exponentially increases with the development of the Internet of Things. By 2032, the number of sensors is expected to be ~45 trillion, which will generate >1 million zettabytes (1027 bytes) of data per year. The massive data from sensor nodes obscure valuable information that we need it most. Abundant data movement between sensor and processing unit greatly increases power consumption and time latency, which poses grand challenges for the power-constraint and widely distributed sensor nodes in the Internet of Things. Therefore, it urgently requires a computation paradigm that can efficiently process information near or inside sensors, eliminate redundant data, reduce frequent data transfer, and enhance data security and privacy. We propose bioinspired in-sensor computing paradigm to reduce data transfer and decrease the high computing complexity by processing data locally. In this talk, we will discuss the hardware implementation of the in-sensor computing paradigms at the device and array levels. We will illustrate the physical mechanisms that lead to unique sensory response characteristics and their corresponding computing functions. In particular, bioinspired device characteristics enable the fusion of the sensor and computation functionalities, providing a way for intelligent information processing with low power consumption.

Biography

Prof. Yang Chai is the Associate Dean of the Faculty of Science of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Vice President of the Physical Society of Hong Kong, a member of The Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences, an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer since 2016, the Vice Chair of IEEE EDS region 10, and was the Chair of IEEE ED/SSC Hong Kong Chapter (2017-2019). He is a recipient of the RGC Early Career Award in 2014, the Semiconductor Science and Technology Early Career Research Award in 2017, the PolyU FAST Faculty Award in Research and Scholar Activities in 2018/2019, the Young Scientist Award of ICON-2DMAT in 2019, the PolyU President’s Award in Research and Scholar Activities in 2019/2020, NR45 Young Innovators Award in 2021, Young Scientist of World Laureate Forum in 2021,  and a finalist for the Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year 2022 in Engineering and Technology. His current research interest mainly focuses on emerging electronic devices.

Talk2：Mechanically Modulated Semiconductor Interfaces: Energy, Sensing, and Beyond

Speaker: Jun Liu

Abstract

Electronic excitation of hot carriers has been recently proved at sliding or impacting metal/semiconductor and P-N junction interface, which has significant implications for next-generation energy harvesting technologies, electro-mechanical sensing, and mechano-chemistry applications. It has also been referred as ‘tribovoltaic effect’ in semiconductor materials. Compared to the pulsed alternating current (AC) power generated by traditional piezoelectricity or triboelectricity, the sustained direct-current (DC) power generated at dynamic semiconductor interfaces breaks down the power output limit by producing 2-3 orders’ higher current density. In this talk, I will first introduce the nanoscale discovery of the phenomenon on 2D materials with scanning probe microscopy, followed by the macroscale demonstration of the concept on a variety of semiconductors (Si, oxide, GaN, etc.) with scaled up power output. I will also discuss our recent theoretical effort in understanding the multiphysics phenomenon, as well as the ongoing technical development for self-powered wearable and implantable devices. Finally, I will introduce the coupling of the solid-state effect with liquid environment, which is capable of generating energetic free radicals for green chemistry applications.

Biography

Dr. Jun Liu is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The State University of New York at Buffalo. He is also an affiliated faculty of UB RENEW (Research and Education in eNergy, Environment and Water) Institute. Dr. Liu is also an Associate Editor of Energy Technology (Wiley) since 2023. He received his PhD (2018) in Materials Engineering from the University of Alberta, Canada with expertise on advanced materials and nanomechanics for energy harvesting.. He is the recipient of many awards such as 2022 SONY Faculty Innovation Award, 2020 Microsystem and Nanoengineering (MINE) Young Scientist Award (Springer Nature), and 2019 Best Scientific Research Award (Nanosymposium on Scanning Probe Microscopy). He has 40+ refereed publications in high-profile journals such as Nature Nanotechnology, Science Advances, Matter, Nano Letters, and Advanced Functional Materials and multiple US and PCT patents. He has been invited for talk in many professional conferences such as MRS, SPIE, and NENS.

Talk3：Flexible and Stretchable Electronics based on Carbon Nanotubes

Speaker: Min Zhang

Abstract

Flexible and stretchable electronics has drawn intense interests because of their potential for emerging applications, providing imperceptible wearable devices and skin prosthesis repair for humans, soft perceptions for intelligent robots, and conformable interfaces for human-machine interactions, especially in the era of Internet of Things and the fifth-generation wireless technologies. At the same time, flexible electronics encounters challenging obstacles of material self-limiting fabrication, trade-off mechanical flexibility, and associated moderate electrical performance. Nanocarbon based electronics is of great promise to solve these problems for their intrinsic flexibility or stretchability, high carrier mobility, potential for large-area integration and capability to synthesize as semiconducting or metallic. This talk mainly covers carbon nanotube based flexible and stretchable transistors and circuits for logic processing and control, neuromorphic electronics for intelligence, sensors for acquiring information. Our efforts on monolithic system integration would provide more possibilities and open versatile doors for human life experience. This talk will provide our solutions to the challenges in this field, including devices, circuits, integration methods, materials and mechanisms.

Biography

Min Zhang is an Associate Professor of Electronic and Computer Engineering at Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Deputy Director of Thin Film Transistor and Advanced Display Lab, and founder of Nanoelectronics and Soft Electronics Lab, China. She is a senior member of IEEE. She received her B.S. and M.Phil. degrees from the Department of Microelectronics and Solid-State Electronics at Xi’an Jiaotong University and her Ph.D. degree from the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She worked for Solomon Systech (Hong Kong) Limited in Hong Kong for six years, developing advanced devices for display technology with renowned foundries. She joined Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School in 2012. Her research interests are focused on flexible and stretchable electronics, nanoelectronics, neuromorphic electronics, bioelectronics as well as advanced displays. She has published over 130 peer-reviewed papers and 1 book, and has been awarded 18 patents. She has served as technical program committee, organizing committee, session chair, and invited speaker at many renown international conferences.

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DATE: 28 April 2023

Talk: Biomolecular Needling Systems for Medicals

Speaker: Beomjoon Kim, Ph.D. Professor

Abstract

Recently, in the transdermal drug delivery methods, the microneedle-mediated drug delivery system (DDS) has been developed to replace the hypodermic injection-mediated DDS, to provide painless self-administration of biological drug with patient friendly manner. Dissoluble microneedles are attracting many attentions as it has several advantages such as no needle-related risks. We have developed new fabrication methods for biodegradable microneedles array patches (MAPs), which are different with the conventional fabrication ones, such as stepwise casting method. Here, new transdermal drug delivery system by using dissoluble micro needle patch will be introduced. We also develop several aspects of bio-sensors components to accomplish portable Point-of-Care diagnostic devices, which are disposal, user-friendly, low-cost, and highly sensitive. We fabricated porous microneedle on a paper substrate to develop a novel platform for direct integration of sensors. The device painlessly monitors fluid in the skin within seconds. Anyone can use the disposable patch without training, making it highly practical. Additionally, fabrication is easy, low cost, and the glucose sensor can be swapped for other paper-based sensors that monitor other important biomarkers.

Biography

Beomjoon Kim is a Professor of Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo, Japan. Also, he is currently a director of LIMMS-KIKO, a director of CREMeB (Center for Research on Engineering in Medicine and Biology), and in charge as a chair of corporate sponsored research division of “Virological Medicine”, at I.I.S., the University of Tokyo. He received his B.E. degree from Seoul National University, Dept. of Mechanical Design and Production Eng., Korea, in 1993, and M.S., Ph.D. in Precision Engineering, from the University of Tokyo, Japan, in 1995 and 1998, respectively. He was a CNRS Associate Researcher in LPMO, Besancon, France (1998-99), and worked in MESA+ Research Institute, University of Twente (1999-2000). He was an Associate Professor in the Univ. of Tokyo (2000-2013), and was a co-director at the CIRMM/CNRS Paris office (2001-2003). He investigates several aspects of bio-sensors components to accomplish portable Point-of-Care diagnostic devices, which are disposal, user-friendly, low-cost, and highly sensitive. Moreover, he is interested to develop self-powered, energy harvesting micro sensors as well as smart monitoring system. Recently, main research topic is focused to study on new transdermal drug delivery system by using dissoluble micro needle patch. He has published 113 peer reviewed journal papers, 216 international conference papers, 204 domestic conference papers as well as tens of patents, books publications so far.

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DATE: 25 April 2023

Talk1：Smart Materials for Wearable Biosensors and Biomechanical Energy

Speaker: Wu Changsheng

ABSTRACT

The rapid pace of population ageing and the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the deficiency of medical resources and inefficiency of health systems, thus calling for imminent advancement on biomedical technologies. Current centralized healthcare is mainly offline and curative: the monitoring of patients’ physiological data is intermittent at doctor-centric facilities and care is given upon symptomatic conditions. Meanwhile, the swift advancement in smart materials, wearables, wireless communication, artificial intelligence (AI), and Internet of things, offers a potential paradigm shift in healthcare by launching continuous, pervasive, and personalized digital health solutions, with challenges remaining in advanced monitoring modalities and energy sustainability. In this talk, I will review how advanced manufacturing enabled smart materials capable of continuously and sustainably sensing body signals can fundamentally change current health practices. I will introduce our recent progresses on: 1) wearable bioelectronics for multimodal sensing of human signals, including examples of wireless skin-interfaced optical and mechano-acoustic sensors for the monitoring of hemodynamics and tissue mechanics; 2) self-powered biomechanical systems based on triboelectric nanogenerator. These technologies, together with AI-assisted biosignal analysis, provide opportunities of energy-efficient, flexible, multifunctional bioelectronic systems, and will shape the future of digital health.

BIOGRAPHY

Changsheng Wu is an Assistant Professor (Presidential Young Prefessor) in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He is also an PI in the Institute for Health Innovation and Technology and the N.1 Institute for Health, NUS. He received his PhD in MSE from Georgia Tech and carried out postdoctoral research in the Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics at Northwestern University. His research focuses on developing wireless wearables and intelligent robots for energy harvesting, biosensing and therapeutic applications, leveraging bioelectronics, materials science, and advanced manufacturing to create continuous, pervasive, and sustainable digital health solutions. He is the author of more than 60 publications and inventor of 7 patents. His work received the TechConnect 2018 Innovation Award and the 56th R&D 100 Awards.

Talk2：Biomolecular perception on soft interfaces

Speaker: Ting Wang

ABSTRACT

Precise perception of biosignals on the soft interfaces enables dynamically monitoring of health status at the molecular level.  Implementation of biosensors and its integrated systems on soft interfaces is quite challenging as biomolecular sensing involves complex cascade transduction process.  Aiming at the scientific problem of efficient signal transduction on soft interfaces, we focus on controlling the cascade signal transduction of biomolecules.  More specifically, in this talk, I will introduce: i) a chemomechanical transduction mechanism which realizes the tactile sensing of biomolecules; ii) the stability mechanism of cascade reactions which solves the problems of instability in both time and space domains; iii) a sensing-feedback cascade functional system which builds an interactive interface with compatible signal modality.

BIOGRAPHY

Ting Wang is a professor of Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications (NJUPT), China. She received her Ph.D. degree from Central South University in 2015. From 2015 to 2021, She was a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore). She joined NJUPT as a professor in June 2021. Her research interests focus on developing biosensors on soft interfaces for non/minimal-invasive health monitoring and artificial system. She has published 17 papers as the first/corresponding author including Nature Electronics and Advanced Materials with H index of 33. She also been sponsored by five funding such as the Natural Science Foundation for Young Scholars, the Program of Jiangsu Specially-Appointed Professor, etc. She is selected as Nanoscale Emerging Investigators (2022) and invited as a guest editor of Biosensors to organize a special issue of Flexible biosensors.

Talk3：Soft Materials as Neural Interfaces: Brain, Gut, Nerve, and Beyond

Speaker: Jinxing Li

ABSTRACT

The nervous system is a soft and dynamic system with complex electrical and molecular signaling, tissue development, and organ motion across broad time scales and physical dimensions. These facts challenge conventional bio-interface design regarding mechanical compatibility and functional versatility. Using unconventional soft materials to engineer electronics will lead to tissue-mimicking, mechanically compliant neural interfaces that can interrogate the central and peripheral nervous systems with high precision in a minimally invasive way. This presentation will focus on a few recent creations on how soft materials based on polymers and composites lead to more compliant soft neural interfaces: a composite-based elastic neurotransmitter sensor that can achieve multiplex neurotransmitter sensing in the brain and gut, and a viscoplastic-polymer-based morphable neurostimulator that can accommodate the growing nerve for chronic neurostimulation in rapidly growing nerves. Overall, we believe that new neuroengineering tools based on soft materials engineering will enable yet unimagined neuroscience discoveries and applications.

BIOGRAPHY

Jinxing Li is an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering at Michigan State University. He joined MSU as part of the university’s Global Impact Initiative from Stanford University, where he did his postdoctoral research on soft bioelectronics. He received his Ph.D. in NanoEngineering at UC San Diego, with a research focus on medical micro/nanorobotics. He was a visiting scholar working on telemedicine devices in the Artificial Intelligence Research Lab at Bell Labs. He received his B.S. from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and M.S. from Fudan University in China, both in Electrical Engineering. He is a recipient of Siebel Scholar of Bioengineering, Materials Research Society Graduate Student Award, Dan David Prize Scholarship, American Chemical Society Division of Inorganic Chemistry Young Investigator Award, and MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35.

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DATE: 18 April 2023

Talk: Metasurface – enhanced holography, imaging, and biosensing

Speaker: Inki Kim

ABSTRACT

Metamaterials or metasurfaces – materials that are engineered to have properties that are not found in natural materials – allow us to overcome physical limitations. Metasurface science is further not only expanding field of optics and photonics by providing ultra-compact and multifunctional flat optical devices, also resolves challenging problems in diverse sectors like healthcare, optical display, imaging, and military affairs. In this talk, I will introduce metasurface-enhanced holography, imaging, and biosensing technologies. First, I will show multifunctional metaholograms for interactive displays, optical security labels, and visual gas sensors. By integrating high-efficiency dielectric metaholograms with liquid crystal cell, we are able to actively control holographic images, which are reacting with external targeted stimuli. Furthermore, advanced metasurface design algorithm enables multiple information encoding in a single device like coloration and polarization states. Secondly, I will explain an electrically tunable varifocal metalens that operates at visible wavelengths and a point cloud generating metasurface for advanced 3D depth imaging or LiDAR applications. The electrically tunable varifocal metalens will enable solid-state zoom tuning camera. The point cloud generating metasurface is able to spread 10K dots over 2π full space with over 80% diffraction efficiency, which is promising for scanning-free LiDAR technology. Finally, I will show metasurface-driven molecular sensing technologies including multiplexed plasmon resonance energy transfer (PRET) hyperspectral imaging and ultrafast photonic PCR. Such multiplexed nanospectroscopy method can open up a new path for real-time molecular sensing and imaging methods. The perfect absorber-based metaphotonic PCR accelerates chip-based point-of-care testing applications.

BIOGRAPHY

Inki Kim is an Assistant Professor in Department of Biophysics, Institute of Quantum Biophysics at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU). He received his Ph.D degree (with Chang Kun Soo Memorial Award) in Mechanical Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), and B.S. degree (with highest honor) in Mechanical Engineering at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST). Prior to joining SKKU, he was a Sejong Science Fellow in Mechanical Engineering at POSTECH. He has published 50+ peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Communications, Science Advances, Advanced Materials, Materials Today, and Light: Science and Applications. Currently his research interests are experimental nanoscale photonics including metamaterials, metasurfaces, plasmonics, nanofabrications, bionanophotonics, quantum biophysics, and quantum-integrated medical devices.

Talk: Emerging nonlinear nanophotonic platform – thin film lithium niobate

Speaker: Mengjie Yu

ABSTRACT

Lithium niobate (LN) is an excellent nonlinear photonic material due to its large electro-optic (EO) coefficient, second order  and Kerr () nonlinearity, along with a wide optical transparency window. Thanks to the recent advances in nanofabrication technology, monolithic LN waveguides with high optical confinement and ultralow linear loss has been achieved, which was critical to the success of the silicon-based platform in the past decade. Highly efficient and controllable light-matter interactions can be achieved using optical, electrical, or mechanical waves at extremely compact footprints. In this talk, I will review our recent developments of thin-film LN nonlinear devices for  and -based parametric frequency conversion, high power EO frequency combs, femtosecond pulse synthesis and optical isolator. Combination of multiple nonlinearities of LN unlocks ultrabroadband electromagnetic spectrum from microwave to mid-infrared. Lastly, I will discuss the potential of LN photonic platform for scaling up and accelerating classical and quantum technologies in sensing, photonic computing, and communication networks.

BIOGRAPHY

Mengjie Yu is Gabilan Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She received her Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2018 from Cornell University and held research staff associate position in Applied Physics and Mathematics at Columbia University from 2015-2018. She is a postdoctoral fellow in the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University from 2018-2021. She has published over 40 papers in numerous high-impact journals, including Nature, Science, Nature Photonics, Light Science & Application, Nature Communications, Optica, ACS Photonics, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, etc.

Her research group focuses on developing nanoscale nonlinear and quantum photonics devices for optical communication, computing, sensing, and metrology. Her research interests include nonlinear physics, optical frequency comb, spectroscopy, photonic computing, and quantum optics, enabled by advanced nanofabrication of low-loss photonic structures based on silicon, silicon nitride, and lithium niobate. She serves on the Early Career Editorial Advisory Board for APL Photonics. She is the 2020 the Optica (formerly OSA) Ambassador, the Caltech 2019 Young Investigator Lecturer, and the Rising Star Women in Engineering in the Asian Deans Forum 2019. She served as chair of the OSA Integrated Photonics Technical Group from 2019 – 2021.

Talk3: 3D metafibre optics

Speaker: Haoran Ren

ABSTRACT

The development of ultracompact, flexible, and versatile fibre-based technology for advanced imaging has the potential for a profound impact on many photonic, biological, and medical applications. Meta-optics, which allows complete wavefront control of light by ultrathin subwavelength structures, has offered a transformative platform for both fundamental study of light–matter interactions at a nanoscale and a diverse range of photonic applications. In this talk, I will introduce our recent work in 3D metafibre optics with unleashed height degree of freedom for all-on-fibre wavefront manipulation [1-3]. We fabricated a 3D achromatic diffractive metalens on the end face of a single-mode fiber, achieving achromatic and polarization-insensitive focusing across the entire near-infrared telecommunication wavelength band ranging from 1.25 to 1.65 μm [2]. The unlocked height degree of freedom in 3D nanopillar meta-atoms largely increases the upper bound of the time-bandwidth product of an achromatic metalens, leading to a wide group delay modulation range and thereby a broad wavelength coverage. Furthermore, we demonstrate the use of our compact and flexible achromatic metafiber for fiber-optic confocal imaging, capable of creating in-focus sharp images under broadband light illumination. I will finish my talk by presenting our recent development of vectorial metafibers for the generation of arbitrary structured vector beams on a hyrbid-order Poincaré sphere, including those carrying different orbital angular momentum modes.

1. M. Plidschun et al., Ultrahigh numerical aperture meta-fibre for flexible optical trapping. Light Sci. Appl. 10, 57 (2021).
2. H. Ren et al., An achromatic metafiber for focusing and imaging across the entire telecommunication range. Nat. Commun. 13, 4183 (2022).
3. C. Li et al., Metafiber transforming arbitrarily structured light, arXiv:2302.13010 (2023).

BIOGRAPHY

Dr Haoran Ren is an ARC DECRA Fellow at the School of Physics and Astronomy at Monash University. He joined Monash from June 2022, before that he held a Macquarie University Research Fellowship at Macquarie University, a Humboldt Research Fellowship at LMU Munich, and postdoc at RMIT University. He got a PhD from Swinburne University of Technology in 2017. His nanophotonic research seeks to uncover the underlying physics in multi-dimensional light manipulation and structured light-matter interactions. He has broad research interests including structured light imaging, meta-optics, resonant photonics, quantum photonics, near-field and on-chip photonics, and fibre optics. His group aims to develop advanced optical materials and nanotechnology to unleash the full potential of light for optical and quantum information processing. Dr Ren holds a Honorary Research Fellow position at the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at Macquarie University. He is an Associate Investigator for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS) and a member of APL Photonics Early Career Editorial Advisory Board. He was awarded the 2022 ANZOS Geoff Opat Early Career Researcher Prize, the 2017 Victoria Fellowship, and the 2016 Outstanding Self-financed Chinese Students Abroad (the Special Prize). His research has been featured by 2022 Emerging Leaders in Journal of Optics and 2022 MQ Research Spotlight. He has published over 30 papers in high-impact journals, including Science, Science Advances, Nature Photonics, Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Communications, Physical Review Letters, Chemical Reviews, etc.

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DATE: 14 April 2023

SPEAKER: Xue Feng

TALK: Flexible integrated circuits: design, manufacture and applications

ABSTRACT:

Flexible electronics technology refers to the integration of different materials and functional units on flexible substrates to form thin, flexible, deformable and reconfigurable electronic devices/systems. It subversively changes the rigid physical form of traditional electronic devices. The core of flexible electronics technology is the design, manufacture and reliability of flexible integrated devices. This talk firstly introduces the design theory and manufacture of flexible integrated devices, including the evolution mechanism of semiconductor properties under deformation and the integration method of transfer printing on heterogeneous interfaces. For wafer level manufacturing of flexible integrated devices, nanometer diamond enhanced wafer grinding method is used, which can thin 4-12 inch wafer to 25 microns. With ultra-thin chips transfer and high energy laser beam slicing, the single flexible chips with independent function are obtained. Then the flexible chips are picked up, transferred, interconnected, encapsulated and integrated, and finally the flexible integrated devices are formed. The first small test line of flexible integrated device manufacturing domestic and abroad and the CNAS standard testing and certification system have been established, and ultra-thin flexible chips, high-density packaging of flexible chips, high-precision SMT of flexible circuit boards and low-temperature silicone injection encapsulation have been realized from chip level to module level manufacturing. The above technologies greatly promote the innovation and development of flexible integrated devices and their applications in health care, intelligent perception, major equipment and other fields.

BIOGRAPHY:

Xue Feng, male, born in 1977, Professor of Tsinghua University, 973 Project Chief Scientist, currently director of Flexible Electronic Technology Laboratory of Tsinghua University, President of Zhejiang Tsinghua Flexible Electronic Technology Research Institute, etc.

Professor Feng Xue is committed to solid mechanics and flexible electronics technology. So far, he has published more than 260 SCI papers in Nat. Mater., Sci. Adv., Adv Mater. More than 190 national invention patents and 9 software Copyrights were authorized. He has won the Heliang Heli Foundation Science and Technology Innovation Award, China Youth Science and Technology Award, National Outstanding Scientist of Science and Technology, Qiushi Outstanding Youth Award of China Association for Science and Technology, etc. Ranked in 1st, he has won the first prize of Beijing Natural Science, the first prize of Technology Invention of the Ministry of Education and many other awards.

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Theme: Towards Building a New Expertise Across Africa

Date: 3 – 7 July 2023

This workshop will bring together cutting-edge researchers in computational geodynamics to Kigali (Rwanda) with the aim to expose young African talents to this field. This event is co-sponsored by the ICTP-East African Institute for Fundamental Research (ICTP-EAIFR) of the University of Rwanda and the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG)

Find out more at: https://indico.ictp.it/event/10183

Theme: Applications and Advanced Topics

Date: 17 – 23 April 2023

TinyML is a subfield of Machine Learning focused on developing models that can be executed on small, real-time, low-power, and low-cost embedded devices. This allows for new scientific applications to be developed at an extremely low cost and at large scale.

TinyML represents a collaborative effort between the embedded power systems and Machine Learning communities, which traditionally have operated independently. TinyML has a significant role to play in achieving the SDGs and facilitating scientific research in areas such as environmental monitoring, physics of complex systems and energy management.

Find out more at: https://indico.ictp.it/event/10166

Date: 20 April 2023

Time: 09h00 – 12h00

Venue: MUHAZI Lecture Hall of UR-CST Nyarugenge campus

It is a time to strengthen links with researchers in Europe as well as build interdisciplinary bridges with researchers at UR and Rwanda in general. There will be a colloquium talk by the Director of ICTP Trieste Italy, Prof. Atish DABHOLKAR, who is also ADG at UNESCO. This will be preceded by presentations of different opportunities open and available to researchers through ICTP Trieste.
If you would like take your research up a notch or more, this will be a good program to attend.

BRIEF CONCEPT NOTE
ICTP-EAIFR is not about physics alone but has a focus on Fundamental Research. After all, it is the East African Institute for FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH. We welcome people from different areas of science and engineering for collaborative research with us where we can, together, apply fundamental principles to solve important problems. This involves not only research in physics but also research in its tool of mathematics and in the application of fundamental principles in areas such as climate change/modeling, chemistry, biology, and other fields.
In fact, at ICTP Trieste Italy, from which EAIFR derives its model, there is research in Quantitative Life Sciences (QLS) and in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) along with research in the traditional areas of Mathematics, Condensed Matter and Statistical Physics, Earth Systems Physics, and High Energy Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics.
On Thursday 20th of April, we will be building a bridge that connects different areas of science including its applications (engineering).
If you would like to have more links for research collaboration, this is the program for you. You can receive information on how to collaborate with ICTP Trieste (and EAIFR) to carry our cutting edge research related to your field.

Visit their websites: ictp.it  and eaifr.org

Date: 11 April 2023

Talk1：Development of Upconversion Nanomaterials for Precision Theranostics

Speaker: Xiaoxue Xu

ABSTRACT

Upconversion nanoparticle (UCNPs) have a photoluminescent ability to emit higher energy emissions at UV and visible range after absorption of two or more photons from lower energy wavelength. Lanthanide ions doped UCNPs is one of the most promising candidates. The Ln ions doped UCNPs present unique optical, electronic and magnetic properties which have attracted broad biomedical applications. This seminar will focus on the development of UCNPs for precision theranostics including the programmed fabrication of UCNPs, the optical and magnetic properties tailoring, surface functionalization for biolabelling, multimodal biomedical imaging and light triggered drug delivery.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr Xiaoxue Xu is currently a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Dr Xu completed the PhD at the University of Western Australia (UWA) in 2012. After the first Research Assistant Professorship at UWA, she moved to Macquarie University to take the Macquarie University Research Fellowship in 2015. In 2017, Dr Xu was awarded the Chancellor Postdoctoral Research Fellowships from UTS. Dr Xu has been working in biomaterials for more than 10 years focusing on inorganic nanomaterials including luminescent upconversion nanoparticles, hybrid heterogeneous nanostructures and ultrafine grained bulk metals for bioimaging, biolabeling, drug delivery and bio-implants. The ongoing research projects include the surface modifications and hybridization of upconversion nanomaterials for multimodal bioimaging, and light triggered drug release in precision nanomedicine. The project on the bulk bioadaptive metallic biomaterials is newly developed for biomedical implants and devices. Dr Xu is the associate Editor of Bioactive Materials and the Editor Board for Materials Letters. She has published 80 papers in top-tiered journals including Progress in Materials Sciences, Matter, Nature Communication, Advanced Science, Nanoletters, Small etc.

Talk2：Nano-in-nano integration to enable multidisciplinary nanofluidics

Speaker: Yan Xu

ABSTRACT

Nanofluidics is the study and application of fluids in and around geometries with nanoscale characteristic dimensions. Nanofluidics is usually considered a realm that evolved from microfluidics, but is obviously not a mere extension of microfluidics. New physical phenomena and effects which are not observed in bulk or at microscales, start to emerge and dominate at nanoscales, opening up an unchartered research territory for exploring new scientific insights and applications of fluids. A significant growth of research in nanofluidics is achieved over the past decade, but the field is still facing considerable challenges toward the transition from the current physics-centered stage to the next application-oriented stage. To conquer these challenges, we established a technology called “nano-in-nano integration”, which allows the integration of a variety of functional (eg., fluidic, electrical, optical, thermal, magnetic, chemical and biological) components in tiny nanofluidic channels. The nano-in-nano integration technology opens up new avenues to exploit chemistry, biology, and materials science at femtoliter, attoliter, single-nanoparticle, and single-molecule scales through nanofluidics, as demonstrated by us in our recent works which will be presented in this talk.

BIOGRAPHY

Yan Xu is an Associate Professor and the principal investigator of the Nanofluidics Lab at Osaka Metropolitan University, Japan. He received his bachelor’s degree (2001) from Dalian University of Technology and his master’s degree (2004) from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He completed his Ph.D. (2007) at the University of Tokyo. Research in his group is directed toward the use of nanofluidic devices for chemistry, biology, materials science, and process engineering. His research group continues to involve the study and development of novel nanofluidic methods for single molecule chemistry, single cell omics, biomaterials, and nanomedicine.

Talk3：Advanced nanofabrication and metamaterials at the nano-bio interfaces

Speaker: Haogang Cai

ABSTRACT

In an era of precision medicine and big data, the computational technology is very powerful to store and process data. However, there is an urgent need of tools to probe and control biosignals with a comparable high throughput, which often requires a high resolution and deep reach. To address these challenges, my lab aims to build new paradigms of nanotechnology for biological and biomedical applications, including mechanobiology, immunology, biophotonics and biosensing. In this talk, I will highlight the advanced nanofabrication and metamaterials we developed, including novel and aggressively miniaturized mechanical and optical probes, to manipulate and collect biosignals at various scales. (1) Single-molecule biomimetic cell interfaces based on top-down nanofabrication and bottom-up functionalization. We build molecular architectures to mimic extracellular microenvironments and cellular surfaces for mechanobiology study. In particular, we investigate the geometric effect of transmembrane receptor clustering in critical cellular functions from adhesion to immune response. (2) Optical metasurfaces and the transfer/integration technology. Metasurfaces are two-dimensional thin films of nanostructures that manipulate light-matter interactions in a way not found in naturally occurring materials. Metasurface transfer and integration technology will enable ultracompact optical systems for biophotonic applications from microendoscopy to biosensing. (3) Mechanical metamaterials based on nano-kirigami technology, which is a new approach for three-dimensional nanofabrication and dynamic actuation. The integration with biomimetic surfaces and optical metasurfaces promises novel biomedical applications.

BIOGRAPHY

Haogang Cai is currently an Assistant Professor in the Health Technology and Engineering Institute (Tech4Health) at New York University Grossman School of Medicine. He is also a faculty member of the Departments of Radiology, Biomedical Engineering, and Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health. Dr. Cai received his B.S. from Xi’an Jiaotong University and M.S. from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, both in Electronic Science and Technology. In 2016, he received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University. From 2016 to 2020, he had postdoctoral trainings at Columbia University and Argonne National Laboratory. With a multidisciplinary academic and training background, Dr. Cai’s research group aims to build new paradigms of nanotechnology for biological and biomedical applications, including mechanobiology, immunology, biophotonics and biosensing. Dr. Cai has received federal grants and awards, including a recent MIRA R35 award from NIH/NIGMS. His work has been published in high-impact journals, including Nature Materials, Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Protocols, Advanced Materials, ACS Nano, Nano Letters, etc.

website: www.ican-x.com

Date: 7 April 2023

Talk1：F Biomimetic peptide self-assembly for functional materials and novel applications

Speaker: Rusen Yang

ABSTRACT

Supramolecular assembly of metabolites produces novel materials with hierarchical structures, good biological properties, and unique physical properties. They are an essential biomimetic material, and self-assembly structures with excellent piezoelectric properties enable the study of the electromechanical coupling properties in biomaterials. However, the randomly oriented piezoelectric domains adversely affect the performance of piezoelectric biomaterials, and uniform polarization is needed for the material to show a macroscopic piezoelectric effect and to improve the performance of a piezoelectric device. We combine theoretical calculations and experimental studies to synthesize piezoelectric biomaterials based on amino acid and peptide self-assembly. We applied an electric field during the growth process to synthesize micron column arrays with controlled spontaneous polarization directions. We then studied the influence of the electric field on self-assembly. Our calculations showed that peptide-based piezoelectric materials outperform traditional piezoelectric ceramics in energy harvesting applications. We developed metabolite-based piezoelectric nanogenerators, composite nanogenerators, and flexible nanogenerators. We also revealed the degradation behavior of peptide-based nanogenerators in different solutions. The research of peptide self-assembly materials has strongly promoted the discovery of environmentally friendly biomimetic functional materials and the advancement of new energy, advanced sensing, and other technologies, improving and enhancing people’s health and quality of life.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Rusen Yang is a Hua Shan professor and vice dean of the School of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology at Xidian University in China. He obtained his M.S. and B.S. in Condensed Matter Physics from Jilin University, China. In 2007, he received his Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, where he continued as a Post-Doctoral Associate till 2010. From 2010 to 2018, he worked as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota, where he was elected as a McKnight Land Grant Professor in 2013. He has focused his research on synthesizing new nanomaterials and exploring their application for energy harvesting and sensing applications. He has developed new processes to achieve nanowires with controlled orientation and post-growth approaches to align nanostructures. He has created piezoelectric biomaterials with controlled polarization and applied them for energy harvesting. He has published over 150 papers in peer-reviewed journals that have been cited over 12,000 times, and his transformative work won him NSF Career Award, 3M NTFA Award, and Nano Energy Award. His currently a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) and a Deputy Editor of Research.

Talk2：Neuromorphic Silicon Photonics and Applications from Classical to Quantum

Speaker: Bhavin J. Shastri

ABSTRACT

Artificial intelligence (AI) powered by neural networks has enabled applications in many fields (medicine, finance, autonomous vehicles). Digital implementations of neural networks are limited in speed and energy efficiency. Neuromorphic photonics aims to build processors that use light and photonic device physics to mimic neurons and synapses in the brain for distributed and parallel processing while offering sub-nanosecond latencies and extending the domain of AI and neuromorphic computing applications.

We will discuss photonic neural networks enabled by CMOS-compatible silicon photonics. We will highlight applications that require low latency and high bandwidth, including wideband radio-frequency signal processing, fiber-optic communications, and nonlinear programming (solving optimization problems). We will briefly introduce a quantum photonic neural network that can learn to act as near-perfect components of quantum technologies and discuss the role of weak nonlinearities.

BIOGRAPHY

Prof. Bhavin J. Shastri is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Physics at Queen’s University and a Faculty Affiliate at the Vector Institute. He was a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at Princeton University. He received a Ph.D. in electrical engineering (photonics) from McGill University in 2012. Dr. Shastri is the recipient of the 2022 SPIE Early Career Achievement Award and the 2020 IUPAP Young Scientist Prize in Optics “for his pioneering contributions to neuromorphic photonics” from the ICO. He is a co-author of the book Neuromorphic Photonics, a term he helped coin. He has published more than 90 journal articles and 110 conference proceedings, 7 book chapters, and given over 90 invited talks, including 5 keynotes and 5 tutorials. Dr. Shastri is a Senior Member of Optica and IEEE.

website: www.ican-x.com

Date: 04 April 2023

Talk1：Differentiable Imaging – Differentiable Programming Advances Computational Imaging

Speaker: Ni Chen

ABSTRACT

The field of computational imaging has made significant advancements in recent years, yet it still faces limitations due to the restrictions imposed by traditional computational techniques. Differentiable programming offers a solution by combining the strengths of classical optimization and deep learning, through the integration of physics into the modeling process, differentiable imaging, which employs differentiable programming in computational imaging, has the potential to overcome challenges posed by sparse, incomplete, and noisy data. As a result, it has the potential to play a key role in advancing the field of computational imaging and its various applications. This talk will provide perspectives on differentiable imaging with a particular application in holography, known as differentiable holography.

BIOGRAPHY

Ni Chen is an Associate Research Professor at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences in the University of Arizona. She received her B.S. degree in software engineering from Harbin Institute of Technology in 2008 and her Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Seoul National University in 2014. Her research endeavors primarily focus on computational 3D/4D imaging and display, with a specific emphasis on bridging the gap between computational techniques and physical systems to overcome the current limitations of computational imaging techniques. Chen’s work is highly regarded, and she has a robust publication record with over 40 articles published in prestigious journals such as Laser & Photonics Reviews and Photonics Research. Her research contributions have earned her several awards, including the best paper award in International Optical Design Conference of OPTICA 2021 and International Meeting on Information Display 2012. Her research has also been reported by EurekAlert, Communications of the ACM, and etc.

Talk2：Quantitative Phase Imaging: a bridge between optical physics and live-cell analysis

Speaker: Renjie Zhou

ABSTRACT

Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) is a promising label-free imaging technique that can reveal the structures and functions of living cells in their native states. Driven by the demand for affordable point-of-care testing tools, our lab has recently developed QPI-based solutions for blood testing and analyzing microbial risk of pathogens. Blood test is an important medical test as abnormal blood cell counts or morphologies contain abundant health information of a person. We developed a ResNet based neural network to extract rich information from QPI images and achieved reagent-free classification of human leukocytes, including granulocytes, monocytes, and B and T lymphocytes, with an average accuracy of 90.5%. As we recently made our QPI system more compact with a low cost, we also developed a low-latency neural network for real-time phase imaging and analysis of large cell populations. Furthermore, we are employing an all-optical neural network for cell classification to drastically increase the analysis speed closer to the speed of light. The assessment of bacterial viability is critical in evaluating water quality, while traditional heterotrophic plate counting based methods are time-consuming, and the evaluation of bacterial viability is limited to the judgment of “dead or alive”. To improve the efficiency and accuracy of bacterial viability analysis, we recently developed a label-free bacterial viability analyzer based on our high sensitivity QPI method that can achieve fast and accurate bacterial viability analysis due to acute or chronic injuries. To fully unleash the potential of QPI, more interdisciplinary research collaborations are expected in the future.

BIOGRAPHY

Renjie Zhou is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he directs the Laser Metrology and Biomedicine Laboratory. He received his PhD degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2014 and undertook postdoctoral training at MIT between 2014-2017. His research interest is in developing optical precision instruments for various research and industrial applications. He has published over 100 journal and conference papers and filed over 10 US and China patents with several licensed to industry, including his own startup that received the Rising Star Award at MIT Technology Review China in Life Science Start-up Competition. He has been involved in organizing > 20 international conferences as co-chairs/committee members, delivered >40 conference invited talks and seminars/colloquiums, and reviewed for >30 international journals. He is currently serving on the editorial boards of JOSA A, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, and International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing. He is a Senior Member of Optica and SPIE and a regular member of IEEE. He received Croucher Innovation Awards in 2019.

Talk3：High-speed 3D imaging and metrology: from classical fringe projection to deep learning approaches

Speaker: Chao Zuo

ABSTRACT

With the rapid development of optoelectronic information technology, three-dimensional (3D) imaging and sensing has become a research forefront in optical metrology. Fringe projection profilometry (FPP) is one of the most representative 3D imaging technologies due to its non-contact, high-resolution, high-speed, and full-field measurement capability. In recent years, with the rapid advances of optoelectronic devices and digital signal processing units, people subsequently set higher expectations on FPP: it should be both “high precision” and “high speed”. While these two aspects seem contradictory in nature, “speed” has gradually become a fundamental factor that must be taken into account when using FPP, and high-precision 3D reconstruction using only one single pattern has been the ultimate goal of structured light 3D imaging in perpetual pursuit. Nowadays, deep learning technology has fully “permeated” into almost all tasks of optical metrology. In this talk, we introduce our recent efforts to apply deep-learning approaches to FPP. We show that the deep-learning-enabled fringe analysis approach can significantly boost the accuracy and improve the quality of the phase reconstruction compared to conventional single-fringe phase retrieval approaches. Deep learning can also be used to achieve single-frame, high-precision, unambiguous 3D shape reconstruction, which is expected to fill the speed “gap” between 3D imaging and 2D sensing and enables FPP techniques to go a step further in high-speed and high-accuracy 3D surface imaging of transient events.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Chao Zuo is a professor in optical engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology (NJUST), China. He leads the Smart Computational Imaging Laboratory (SCILab: www.scilaboratory.com) at the School of Electronic and Optical Engineering, NJUST, and is also the founder and director of the Smart Computational Imaging Research Institute of NJUST. He has long been engaged in the development of novel Computational Optical Imaging and Measurement technologies, with a focus on Phase Measuring Imaging Metrology such as Holographic Interferometric Microscopy, Noninterferometic Quantitative Phase Imaging (QPI), Fringe Projection Profilometry (FPP), and Structured Illumination Microscopy (SIM). He has authored > 200 peer-reviewed publications in prestigious journals (e.g., Light, Optica, Adv. Photon.) with over 11,000 citations. These researches have been featured on journal cover over 20 times and highlighted by Nature, Light. Sci. Appl., SPIE Newsroom, CLP Newsroom, and Optica Image of the Week. He is a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher and a Fellow of SPIE and Optica. He also serves as Associate Editors of Optics and Lasers in Engineering and PhotoniX.

website: www.ican-x.com

Date: 31 March 2023

Talk: Perovskite and silicon tandem solar cells for high efficiency electricity and hydrogen generation

Speaker: Kylie Catchpole

ABSTRACT

Combining perovskites with well-established photovoltaic materials such as silicon is an attractive approach for producing cheap, high efficiency and high voltage solar cells.  In our work we have used a range of approaches to increase the efficiency of perovskite solar cells for tandems, including 2D perovskites, nanostructured surfaces and novel materials, and have demonstrated over 30% efficiency for 4-terminal perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells.  The high efficiency achievable with perovskite/silicon tandems also enable high efficiency for direct solar-to-hydrogen generation, and we demonstrate a system that uses such tandems to achieve a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 20%.  We also discuss how high efficiency can contribute to lowering the cost of photovoltaics and to decarbonization, as well as some emerging research challenges as solar transitions to become one of the world’s major energy technologies.

BIOGRAPHY

Kylie Catchpole is Professor in the School of Engineering at the Australian National University.  She has research interests in solar cells and solar fuels as well as the broader energy transition.  Her group has achieved world leading efficiencies for perovskite and perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells, and their work on direct solar-to-hydrogen generation was listed as one of the top 10 innovations globally by the Innovation for a Cool Earth Forum (ICEF) in 2020.   She was awarded the inaugural John Booker Medal for Engineering Science from the Australian Academy of Science for her work on increasing light absorption in solar cells using nanophotonics.   In 2022 she was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

website: www.ican-x.com

Date: 28 March 2023

Talk1：Overcoming brittleness through seashell-inspired architectures

Speaker: Zhen Yin

ABSTRACT

Glass and ceramics receive sustained demands in many engineering applications due to their hardness and chemical stability. However, the brittleness of glass and ceramics leads to poor reliability and low damage tolerance. In conventional engineering materials, mechanical properties such as stiffness and toughness are often mutually exclusive so that it is challenging to achieve combinations of these properties. Interestingly, mollusk shells are bio-ceramics made of brittle minerals but have toughness thousands of times higher than their weak constituents yet still achieve high stiffness and strength. The secret of these tough seashells lies in their highly organized hierarchical micro-architectures that utilize the synergies between hard mineral building blocks and ductile organic interfaces. In this lecture, I will first talk about some of the pioneers’ works that help us understand the structure and mechanics of seashells. Then, I will show state-of-the-art research efforts that try to duplicate the structures and mechanisms of seashells in synthetic materials.  In the end, I will present my projects on developing highly deformable, tough and transparent architectured materials through laser engraved meso-scale architectures.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Zhen Yin join the department of control science and engineering, Tongji University, and Shanghai Research Institute for Intelligent Autonomous Systems as a professor in 2023. Previously, he was an Alexander Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow in the Physical Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, working with Prof. Metin Sitti. He received his PhD degree in mechanical engineering from McGill University in 2020, advised by Prof. Francois Barthelat. Dr. Yin’s research focuses on bioinspired architectures, robotic structures and structural mechanics. His work on architectured systems has been published in prestigious journals such as Science, Nature Reviews Materials, Acta Biomaterailia, Composite Structures, among others. Dr. Yin received Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship, the Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Students Abroad and other awards. During the pandemic, he founded and has since been serving as the president for The Martlets Society – a society which seeks to encourage and provides a platform for young scholars to facilitate interdisciplinary exchanges. In his spare time, he loves drawing, photographing and colorizing old photos.

Talk2：Shape-Morphing Structures Based on Architected Materials

Speaker: Mingchao Liu

ABSTRACT

The ability of an object to change its shape is as important to an emerging class of engineering applications as it is to biological organisms: just as animals and plants morph in response to external stimuli, soft robots must be able to change shape to adapt to different environments and to complete different tasks. Artificial structures with the ability to change their shapes are referred to as shape-morphing structures. Several shape-morphing mechanisms have been proposed in recent years. However, due to the restriction of geometric incompatibility, it remains challenging to achieve a particular three-dimensional (3D) target structure with the desired geometry from a two-dimensional (2D) flat sheet, especially lacking the inverse design framework. In addition, achieving a particular 3D shape usually requires multiple responsive materials and/or the application of external stimuli. In this talk, I will showcase several examples that demonstrate how architectured materials can be utilized to create shape-morphing structures with complex geometries (such as complex curvature distribution and non-axisymmetry), as well as multi-stability and re-programmability, through simple mechanisms.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Mingchao Liu is currently a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore and an Assistant Professor at the University of Birmingham in the UK. Before moving to NUT, He was a Newton International Fellow at the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, sponsored by the Royal Society from 2018 to 2021. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanics from Tsinghua University in 2018, and B.Eng. in Engineering Mechanics from Shandong University in 2013. His current research is mainly focused on the mechanics of slender structures and its applications in the design of shape-morphing structures and the modelling of soft robots.

Talk3：Architected Material Analogs of Shape Memory Alloys

Speaker: Yunlan Zhang

ABSTRACT

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are smart materials that find applications in areas as diverse as medical devices, endodontic files, and structural dampers for infrastructures. Nevertheless, the widespread use of these materials is limited by their high cost, which is driven by the need for high-purity raw materials and extensive thermo-mechanical processing. Architected materials are another class of emerging materials that usually consist of numerous unit cells. By tailoring the geometry and topology of the unit cells, these materials can exhibit novel and/or customized properties and responses to physical stimuli. Here, we create a type of architected material that can reproduce the novel properties of SMAs which are referred to as Architected Material Analogs of SMAs (ASMAs). ASMAs comprise periodic multistable unit cells and can exhibit both the salient behaviors, superelasticity and shape memory effect of SMAs. ASMAs can be made from a wide variety of polymers, made by many different low-cost production processes as well as 3D printing, and are designed to respond to various stimuli such as heat, magnetic fields, and solvent absorption. ASMAs offer a lower-cost alternative that can expand the design space for SMA-like material behavior to include larger-scale (e.g., seismic resistance device) or lower-cost applications (e.g., medical implants).

BIOGRAPHY

Yunlan Zhang is an Assistant Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. Before she joined UT, she was a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Engineering Science at University of Oxford. She received her PhD and MS degrees in civil engineering from Purdue University in 2019, and her BS in civil engineering from The Ohio State University in 2012. Her research interests include architected materials, deployable structures, and bioinspired design. She wants to combine her knowledge of structures and materials to create advanced structures with applications that range in scale from microscopic medical devices to macroscopic infrastructure retrofits and extraterrestrial habitats. She enjoys working with students just as much as conducting research.

website: www.ican-x.com

Dates: 5 – 8 November 2023

Venue: Diaz Hotel & Resort, 1 Beach E Blvd, Mossel Bay, South Africa

The conference organizing committee invites abstracts, addressing one of the conference themes, or any topic relevant to catalysis, for oral and poster presentations.
Abstracts will be accepted until the 15th July 2023.
Abstracts can be submitted online (https://catsa2023conference.co.za/abstracts/) or emailed to catsa2023.abstracts@gmail.com.
Delegates are encouraged to take advantage of our reduced early-bird registration fees (https://catsa2023conference.co.za/register-now/).

THEMES
• Heterogeneous catalysis
• Homogeneous catalysis
• Bio-catalysis
• Electrocatalysis
• Theoretical catalysis

TOPICS IN CATALYSIS:
• Catalyst synthesis
• Catalytic materials
• Novel catalyst designs
• Catalyst characterization
• Industrial catalysis
• Catalysis and renewable energy
• Fuel cell technology
• Photocatalysis
• Environmental catalysis
• Water treatment

IMPORTANT DATES
Abstracts:
Submission Deadline: 15th July 2023
Acceptance Notifications: 31st August 2023
Registration dates:
Early-bird: 1st April – 31st July 2023
Late: 1st August – 15th September 2023

For registration and more information, visit: www.catsa2023conference.co.za

Date: 24 March 2023

Speaker: Patrice Simon

Talk: Electrochemistry at the nanoscale: applications to materials for energy storage

ABSTRACT

Growing demand for fast charging electrochemical energy storage devices with long cycle lifetimes for portable electronics has led to a desire for alternatives to current battery systems, which store energy via slow, diffusion-limited faradaic reactions. Electrochemical Capacitors (ECs), also called supercapacitors could fit these demands as they can be fully charged within minutes with almost unlimited cyclability, but they suffer from limited energy density. In this talk, I will give an overview of the research work we achieved on capacitive (porous carbon) and high-rate redox (2-Dimmensionnal) materials, and show how the use/development of advanced electrochemical techniques can help in the development of materials with improved performance.

BIOGRAPHY

Patrice Simon is Distinguished Professor of Material Science at the Université Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier.

He has served as director of the Alistore European Research Institute (www.alistore.eu) dedicated to Li-ion battery research (2008-2018).

He is currently leading, on behalf of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the National Strategy of Acceleration on Batteries (PEPR Batteries), a national program launched in January 2023. He is also Deputy Director of the French network on Electrochemical Energy Storage (RS2E, www.energie-rs2e.com) since its creation in 2011, that gathers together about 20 Labs and 15 companies working on batteries and supercapacitors.

His research activities focus on the fundamental understanding of electrochemical processes occurring at the material / electrolyte interfaces in electrodes for electrochemical energy storage devices (batteries and electrochemical capacitors). He published about 250 papers (>70,000 citations), more than 10 book chapters and gave about 100 invited conferences.

He received several awards for his scientific contribution including Grants from the European Research Council (2012, 2020), the RSC Horizon Prize (2021), the Conway Prize in Electrochemistry from ISE (2018), the International RussNanoprize (2015), the Silver Medal from the CNRS (2015). He is Fellow of the International Society of Electrochemistry (2017), Honorary Professor at Sichuan University (2019), Honorary Professor at Beijing University of Chemical Technology (2019), visiting Professor at Tokyo University of Technology since 2015 one month a year (interrupted by Covid). He is Highly Cited Researcher since 2016 (Clarivate Analytics).

Patrice Simon is member of the French Academy of Sciences (2019) and French Academy of Technology (2018), the European Academy of Sciences (2019), and former member of the Institut Universitaire de France Junior (2007) and Senior (2017).

website: www.ican-x.com

Date: 17 March 2023

Speaker: Andrea Alù

Talk: Extreme Control of Light and Sound with Metamaterials

ABSTRACT

The field of metamaterials, artificial materials engineered at the nanoscale, has been rapidly evolving in the past two decades, demonstrating extreme wave phenomena and unprecedented control over wave propagation. In this talk, I discuss recent developments in this field of research, with an emphasis on the role of symmetries in establishing emerging optical and acoustic responses for metamaterials based on otherwise simple constituents. Geometrical rotations, suitably tailored perturbations, and broken time reversal symmetry can be carefully engaged to tailor waves in robust and efficient ways, control their propagation, break Lorentz reciprocity and enable topological order and phase transitions. I will discuss the underlying physical principles that span over many wave platforms, and their impact on practical technologies, from imaging, energy and sensing to computing and communications.

website: www.ican-x.com

Date: 14 March 2023

Speaker: Renyun Zhang

Talk 1: The opportunities for the human body’s triboelectricity

ABSTRACT

The human body does many physical movements that contain a large amount of information representing a person’s: emotions, physical condition, moods, etc. When doing these movements, interactions with surroundings such as cloth, socks, shoes, doors, tables, etc., generate triboelectric charges on the human body due to the skin’s high positive charge affinity. By analyzing the changes in the triboelectric charges on the human body, and the interaction of the charge with other devices, we can gain much information about the human body and realize interactions with devices. Results from our lab have shown that the generated triboelectric charges could be an energy source for powering small electronics, a signal source for human-computer interaction, and digital security. Potential application in biomedical applications is expected in the near future.

BIOGRAPHY

Renyun Zhang is an associate professor in Nanotechnology at Mid Sweden University. He received his PhD in 2007 in Biomedical Engineering at Southeast University and then spent three years as a postdoctoral research fellow at Mid Sweden University. He has published about 100 peer-reviewed articles in Advanced Materials, Nano Energy, EcoMat, etc. His research focuses on energy harvesting technology and transparent thin films.

Speaker: Xiaoyue Ni

Talk 2: Human-Centered Materials Intelligence

ABSTRACT

Achieving dynamic control over physical properties of materials is an ultimate aspiration of many engineering sciences. The past decades have witnessed phenomenal investment in developing smart materials that can transform and respond to various external stimuli. However, current approaches are mainly off-line and prescribed: design, processing, and characterization of the materials occur only prior to their deployment. In this talk, I will introduce a pathway to enable real-time human-materials interaction by creating advanced digital-physical interfaces that connect humans with materials. To interface with humans, the key challenge is to monitor human signals comfortably and accurately. I will show how epidermal electronics that incorporate high-bandwidth MEMS accelerometers capture multitudes of mechanical and acoustic processes of human body, ranging from broad classes of physiological information to precision kinematics of the core body. The technique has enabled continuous monitoring of unconventional respiratory biomarkers along with important vital signs in the ongoing pandemic setting. To interface with materials, I will describe recent advances in active metamaterials, and how the area of research at the interface between microstructural mechanics, flexible electronics, and non-destructive testing offers new capabilities for developing programmable matter with digital access to the structure, process, and properties. Based on the two platform technologies, I will conclude by discussing new opportunities in developing human-centered materials intelligence – with material properties and human signals digitized in a loop, the materials can sense user status or actions, swiftly adapt their microstructures, and henceforth their functional properties on demand. Such an interactive platform will support a rich range of applications in materials design, soft robotics, and autonomous medical devices.

BIOGRAPHY

Xiaoyue Ni is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at Duke University. Her current research focuses on two primary areas: developing wearable electronics for continuous, noninvasive monitoring of human body mechanics and tissue-level diagnosis, and creating programmable and robotic metamaterials for materials intelligence. She received her Ph.D. degree in Materials Science from the California Institute of Technology in 2017, where she worked on nanomechanics focusing on resolving fundamental physics of dislocation-mediated plasticity. She received her M.S. degree in Materials Science from Caltech in 2014. She holds a B.S. degree in Physics and Mathematics with a Minor in Economics from Marietta College in 2012.

Speaker: Sihong Wang

Talk 3: Biomimetic Polymer Electronics

ABSTRACT

The vast amount of biological mysteries and biomedical challenges faced by humans provide a prominent drive for seamlessly merging electronics with biological living systems (e.g. human bodies) to achieve long-term stable functions. Towards this trend, one of the key requirements for electronics is to possess biomimetic form factors in various aspects for achieving long-term biocompatibility. To enable such paradigm-shifting requirements, polymer-based electronics are uniquely promising for combining advanced electronic functionalities with biomimetic properties. In this talk, I will introduce our new molecular-design, chemical-synthesis, and physical-processing concepts for polymer semiconductors, which enabled the incorporation of multiple biomimetic properties with advanced electronic and photonic functionalities. Furthermore, enabled by these new materials, we have also created new device designs and fabrication processes for building unprecedented functional devices, including stretchable and bioadhesive biosensors, stretchable neuromorphic devices,  and stretchable OLEDs, which all simultaneously achieve high performance and new biomimetic properties. Collectively, our research is opening up a new generation of electronics that fundamentally changes the way that humans interact with electronics.

BIOGRAPHY

Sihong Wang is an Assistant Professor in the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago, USA. He received his Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2014, and his Bachelor’s degree from Tsinghua University in 2009. From 2015 to 2018, he was a postdoctoral fellow in Chemical Engineering at Stanford University. He has published over 70 papers in numerous high-impact journals, including Nature, Science, Nature Materials, Nature Electronics, Matter, Nature Communications, Science Advances, Advanced Materials, Energy & Environmental Science, etc. His research group currently focuses on soft polymeric bioelectronic materials and devices as the new generation of technology for biomedical studies and practices. As of Feb. 2023, his research has been cited more than 20,800 times and he has an H-index of 59. He was recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate Analytics from 2020 to 2022, and was awarded the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, NSF CAREER Award, Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Award, MIT Technology Review 35 Innovators Under 35 (TR35 Global List), Advanced Materials Rising Star Award, ACS PMSE Young Investigator Award, iCANX Young Scientist Award, MRS Graduate Student Award, Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Students Abroad, Top 10 Breakthroughs of 2012 by Physics World, etc.

website: www.ican-x.com

Date: 10 March 2023

Speaker: Federico Rosei

Talk: Multifunctional Materials for Emerging Technologies

ABSTRACT

This presentation focuses on structure property/relationships in advanced materials, emphasizing multifunctional systems that exhibit multiple functionalities. Such systems are then used as building blocks for the fabrication of various emerging technologies. In particular, nanostructured materials synthesized via the bottom–up approach present an opportunity for future generation low cost manufacturing of devices. We focus in particular on recent developments in solar technologies that aim to address the energy challenge, including third generation photovoltaics, solar hydrogen production, luminescent solar concentrators and other optoelectronic devices.

BIOGRAPHY

Federico Rosei (MSc (1996) and PhD (2001) from the University of Rome “La Sapienza”) is Full Professor at the Centre Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Varennes (QC) Canada, where he served as Director (07/2011–03/2019). He held the Canada Research Chair (Junior) in Nanostructured Organic and Inorganic Materials (2003–2013) and since May 2016 he holds the Canada Research Chair (Senior) in Nanostructured Materials. Since January 2014 he holds the UNESCO Chair in Materials and Technologies for Energy Conversion, Saving and Storage. Dr. Rosei’s research interests focus on structure/property relationships in nanomaterials and their use as building blocks in emerging technologies. He is co-inventor of three patents and has published over 435 articles in prestigious international journals, has been invited to speak at over 340 international conferences and has given over 255 seminars and colloquia, over 60 professional development lectures and 45 public lectures in 48 countries on all inhabited continents. His publications have been cited over 20,200 times and his H index is 75.

He is Fellow of numerous prestigious national and international societies and academies, including: the Royal Society of Canada, the European Academy of Science, the Academia Europaea, the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, the African Academy of Sciences, the American Physical Society, AAAS, the American Ceramic Society, Optica, SPIE, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, ASM International, Honorary Fellow of the Chinese Chemical Society, Foreign Member of the Mexican Academy of Engineering and Foreign Member of the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences. He has received several awards and honours, including a junior (2003–2013) and a senior (2016–2023) Canada Research Chair, a Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Award (Humboldt foundation 2011), the Rutherford Medal in Chemistry (Royal Society of Canada 2011), the José Vasconcelos Award for Education (World Cultural Council 2014), the IEEE NTC Distinguished Lectureship 2015–2016, the Chang Jiang Scholar Award (China), the Khwarizmi International Award (Iran), the Recognition for Excellence in Mentorship (American Vacuum Society 2015), the Selby Fellowship (Australian Academy of Sciences 2016), the President’s Visiting Fellowship for Distinguished Scientists (Chinese Academy of Sciences 2017), the Changbai Mountain Friendship Award (2018), the APS John Wheatley Award (2019), the Blaise Pascal Medal (European Academy of Science 2019), the IEEE Photonics Society Distinguished Lectureship (2020–2022), the Guangxi Golden Silkball Friendship Award, the TMS Brimacombe Medal (2021), the Wolfson Fellowship (Royal Society), and the Prix du Quebec “Marie Victorin” (2021).

website: www.ican-x.com

NASEM Workshop: A Transformational Africa-US STEM University Partnership

The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is holding a virtual workshop on “A Transformational Africa-US STEM University Partnership”.

Dates: 14-16 March  2022

Time: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM EDT (2 to 5 PM GMT).

The workshop brings together government ministers, senior policy makers, university leaders, scientists, academics and the private sector, from Africa and the United States. Over three days, it will review experiences, achievements, and best practices of recent large-scale initiatives to build STEM research and education capacity on the continent. It will also identify priorities for joint work and innovative modalities for collaboration between US and African universities.

Please register here.

The tentative workshop agenda is available here or here.

Supporting document here.

Questions about the workshop can be sent to USAfricaSTEM@nas.edu.

5th International Conference of Young Researchers on Advanced Materials (IUMRS-ICYRAM2022)

AESEDA – Indaba – Black History Month Seminar with Dr. Joseph J. Berry

Title: Advances in PV Toward More Efficient, Just and Sustainable Energy Technologies”

Dr. Joseph J. Berry is a Distinguished Alumnus in the Department of Physics at Penn State University, and Senior Research Fellow at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). His efforts at NREL emphasize relating basic interfacial properties to relevant device level behaviors in traditional and novel semiconductor heterostructures including oxides, organics and most recently hybrid semiconductors.

Date: Thursday, February 24th, 2022 at 1pm (EST)

Register here

Find more on the talk here 

UNECA 3rd Youth Innovators Design Bootcamp & Africa Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Forum

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and its partners are pleased to invite you to the third Youth Innovators Design Bootcamp to held from 21– 25 February 2022 with special focus on Disruptive Energy and Water Technologies and Innovations for Sustainable and Inclusive Development, and to the fourth Africa Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Forum  that will be held 1 to 2 March 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Bootcamp will focus on disruptive emerging technologies and their applications in energy and water. The two fields – energy and water  – are selected given their relationship to life under water (SDG 14) and life on land (SDG 15).  This new approaches in energy and water generation, processing, management, storage, distribution and monitoring could have major implications for millions of Africans that are currently underserved.  Hence, the Youth Innovation Forum Bootcamp will expose youths to different approaches to address community and global challenges on water supply and energy needs that is accessible and affordable for Africa’s growing population.

Application Deadline: 10 February 2022

Be informed that your project ideas for the forum would be selected based on the quality of your applications.

Application form for STI Forum Bootcamp

Visit the UNECA website for more information 

ANSOLE´s 11th Anniversary International Online Conference

(A 2 IOC 2022)

Date: 4 February 2022

Registration and abstract submission deadline: 28 January 2022

ANSOLE celebrates its 11th anniversary through an international online conference A²IOC 2022 on February 4th, 2022. The event is co-hosted by Zewail City of Science and Technology, Gizeh, Cairo, Egypt and Université Mohammed 5 de Rabat, Morocco.

A 2 IOC enables our members worldwide to celebrate together and
“talk science” from their sitting rooms. The 2022 edition is co-hosted by Assistant
Professors Dr. Shaimaa Ali Mohamed Ahmed (Zewail City, Egypt) and Dr. Safae Aazou
(UM5Rabat, Morocco).

Visit the website

Read registration guide

Read on “Electrify Africa 2030”

Nanotechnology for a Healthier and Sustainable Future 

This is a virtual launch of a summit event happening in Summer 2022 focused on Good health and well being.

Date: 22 – 23 February 2022

The International Network for Sustainable Nanotechnology (also known as “International Network4Sustainable Nanotechnology”) is a consortium of leading organizations in the field of nanotechnology, representing institutes, universities, non-profit and governmental agencies.

Read more on the network’s official site

View event flyer

Merck Foundation Africa Research Summit – MARS 2022

The summit aims to empower Women and Youth in Research.
Merck Foundation Africa Research Summit – MARS 2022 will have scientific support from African Union Scientific, Technical and Research Commission (AU-STRC), Infectious  Diseases Institute, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kenya Medical  Research Institute (KEMRI) Graduate School, Advanced Center for  Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), India and Merck Foundation.

Deadline: 31 July 2022

Date of Summit: 15 November 2022

Visit the Merck Website for more information

Watch the Merck Foundation video

The Chemical Society of Department of Chemistry is thrilled to invite you in a special talk by Prof. Dr. Dr. (h. c.) Sanjay Mathur (University of Cologne)

Date: 21 December 2021 (Tuesday)

Time: 5pm to 6pm. IST. (1:30pm GMT+2)

Topic: Chemically Processed Functional Ceramics for Energy and Health Applications

Prof. Sanjay Mathur is currently a Director and Chair, Inorganic and Materials Chemistry, University of Cologne. He is a recipient of many prestigious Awards and recognition such as Wood White Award (USA), Lifetime Achievement Award ISCA (India), AkzoNobel Surface Innovator Award, World Class University Distinguished Professor, and many more.” His research group is currently doing prominent work in the field of Inorganic and Materials Chemistry especially, chemical concepts for synthesis and processing of nanostructured ceramics and composites for energy and health applications. Details of the talk by Prof. Sanjay Mathur, his research and publications are attached with this email for your reference. Further details are available in the official website: Research Group Mathur 

Link to join online webinar: https://iitjodhpur.webex.com/iitjodhpur/j.php?MTID=m44c8774d54e20d96f9bab66b35f28f7e

Webinar and Faculty Interaction at IIT Jodhpur
Hosted by Head, Chemistry

https://iitjodhpur.webex.com/iitjodhpur/j.php?MTID=m44c8774d54e20d96f9bab66b35f28f7e
Tuesday, Dec 21, 2021 4:30 pm | 2 hours 30 minutes | (UTC+05:30) Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi
Meeting number: 2527 760 6857
Password: 4Ae8RszFRb3

Join by video system
Dial 25277606857@iitjodhpur.webex.com
You can also dial 210.4.202.4 and enter your meeting number.

Join by phone
+65-3157-6442 Singapore Toll
Access code: 252 776 06857

Second Workshop of the US-Africa Initiative in Electronic Structure (USAfrI)

Date: 25 – 29 May 2021

Deadline for Application:
Deadline: 21 December 2021
Late application deadline: 31 December 2021

“The U.S.– Africa Initiative in Electronic Structure (USAfri) aims to create a platform for exchange between African and U.S. physicists with opportunities to have a major impact on research and education in Africa. Electronic Structure is a natural choice because it is an essential part of research with applications in many fields, and there is a network of capable researchers in Africa generated by sustained efforts over the past 10 years.

The U.S.-Africa Initiative in Electronic Structure is supported by of the Innovation Fund of the American Physical Society.”

Visit the initiative website for more information

Read more here

African School of Physics (ASP) Seminar

Title: Iron sulphide functionalized polyaniline nanocomposite for the removal of Eosin Y from water—equilibrium and kinetic studies

Date: Tuesday 30 November2021

Time: 13:00 UTC / 15:00 CAT

Speaker: Dr. Bernice Yram Danu (Ghana)

Affiliation: University of Energy and Natural Resources, Ghana

Alumnus: ASP2012

Details and registration:

https://indico.cern.ch/event/1098229/

Zoom Meeting ID: 92372698210

Passcode:  20102022

https://cern.zoom.us/j/92372698210?pwd=VDk4c1NKQ1gySFY4QWV6QXFVNU1kQT09

EAIFR Seminar on Dark Matter

Title: DARK MATTER AND BOHR-SOMMERFELD ENHANCEMENT – WORK IN PROGRESS

Date: 23 November 2021

Time: 16:00 HRS (GMT+2 = Kigali Time)

Venue: EAIFR, top floor (EINSTEIN Block, Former “KIST2” Building of UR-CST, Nyarugenge)

Speaker: Musongela-Kikunga-Mafuta (UNIKIN, DRC)

View flyer

ARUA 2021 BIENNIAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Title: Global Public Health Challenges: Facing Them in Africa

Dates: 17 – 19 November 2021

View the conference flyer

More information and Registration

JOINT AMRS-BITRI WEBINAR AND PANEL DISCUSSION

Theme: “Towards Sustainable Energy for African Development” 

Date: 9 November 2021

Time: 16:00 – 18:00 (GMT+2)

Register for webinar

View Programme

Pan-African Physics Roadmap—Community Discussion

An invitation to an open discussion about how to get involved and participate in the African Physics Strategy (ASFAP). There will be a short introduction of the current status and plan for ASFAP, followed by a panel discussion.

NANO Boston Conference 2021

United Scientific Group (USG) cordially invites all the participants from around the world to attend Seventh International Conference on Nanotechnology “NANO Boston Conference”

NANO Boston Conference aims to provide high-quality current reports of scientific progress and best practices in Nanotech through its invited presentations & submitted abstracts. The conference is designed to encourage the exchange of ideas across a range of disciplines.

Theme: “NANO FOR A BETTER WORLD”

Dates: 18-20 October  2021

For more information and registration visit http://nanoworldconference.com

10th  International Conference on Advanced Fibers and Polymer Materials (ICAFPM)

Theme: Better Fiber, Better World

Dates: 17-20 October 2021

ICAFPM was initiated and hosted by the State Key Laboratory of Fiber Material Modification (Donghua University) to discuss the latest research and developments in various fields related to advanced fibers and polymer materials. Open up the frontiers of fiber and polymer research.

Read more on there website

Joint virtual meeting of the African Light Source (AfLS), the African Physical Society (AfPS), and Pan African Conference on Crystallography (ePCCr)

Call for registrations and abstracts for the November 2021 African Light Source conference!

View conference poster

View Pan-African Conference on Crystallography poster