Unbreakable Smartphones - The New Rage

It had to happen. First there were unbreakable screens, then came curved screens. And now, there are talks of flexible phones. So we don’t see why unbreakable phones will no more be something from a sci-fi movie but a reality.

Some researchers in Australia claim to have developed a new technology, which will help develop see-through, unbreakable devices. So now, when you accidentally drop your phone or step on it, all you’ll see is a slight bounce instead of that dreadful crack!

Thanks to the advances in technology and the popularity of nano devices to transfer and store data, it has become relatively simpler to transfer electronics on a flexible platform instead of the present hard base. The ability of micro and nano-electronic devices to sense, insulate or generate energy is controlled by thin, transparent nanolayers of oxide materials, often much thinner than 1/100th of a human hair. However, due to their temperatures being high, so far it was difficult to transfer them on flexible surfaces.

Lead author, PhD researcher Philipp Gutruf, said the new process developed at RMIT could unleash the potential of fully functional flexible electronics, while providing a new way for the materials to mesh together.

"We have discovered a micro-tectonic effect, where microscale plates of oxide materials slide over each other, like geological plates, to relieve stress and retain electrical conductivity," he said.

"The novel method we have developed overcomes the challenges of incorporating oxide materials in bendable electronic devices, paving the way for bendable consumer electronics and otherexciting applications," he added.

Supervisor and co-leader of the research group, Dr Madhu Bhaskaran, said the new approach used two popular materials - transparent conductive indium tin oxide and rubber-like silicone, which is also biocompatible.

"The ability to combine any functional oxide with this biocompatible material creates the potential for biomedical devices to monitor or stimulate nerve cells and organs," she said.

"This is in addition to the immediate potential for consumer electronics applications in flexible displays, solar cells, and energy harvesters," she added.