UNIVERSITY OF AKRON, OH, USA. A team of polymer scientists has just recently developed a transparent electrode that could dramatically change the way we see smartphones today. Currently, various companies have developed different types of shatterproof screens to meet the increasing demands of the electronic consumer market. However, all of it just ends up shattered in pieces as it can only do so much under great pressure.
With today’s technology, almost everyone has at least a smartphone, a tablet or in most cases, both gadgets. These electronic gadgets can cost as cheap as a hundred and as expensive as up to a thousand dollars each. And no matter how careful we are with these gadgets, there will always be that one time when it won’t survive due to a nasty fall.
That is one of the reasons why armor cases and screen protectors are almost automatically must-haves when you get new devices that need utmost protection. After all, we wouldn’t want our investments to go down to waste that quickly, do we? Well, there’s good news for all of us who wants nothing but the best for our fragile electronic devices.
Yu Zhu, an assistant professor of polymer science at the University of Akron with his team recently showed how a transparent layer of electrodes on a polymer surface could be extraordinarily flexible and and tough at the same time. The team also conducted several tests which proved that the technique was able to withstand repeated scotch tape peeling and bending.
This breakthrough could mean we can expect better and stronger screens for our electronic gadgets soon. The conventional touchscreens are made with coatings that are made with indium tin oxide (ITO) which is more brittle and more expensive to produce. That means it easily shatters and it would be very costly to replace it.
The new technology using conductive transparent film is more flexible and cost-effective which offers the same degree of transparency as ITO but has greater conductivity. “We expect this film to emerge on the market as a true ITO competitor. The annoying problem of cracked smartphone screens may be solved once and for all with this flexible touchscreen.” Yu Zhu says.
| Invention | Shatterproof Screens For Smartphones |
|---|---|
| Organization | University of Akron |
| Researcher | Yu Zhu & Team |
| Field(s) | glass, smartphones, Shatterproof |
| Further Information | http://www.neowin.net/news/scientists-have-developed-shatterproof-smartphone-screens |
Image courtesy of pixabay.com
