{"id":303607,"date":"2021-07-20T17:58:19","date_gmt":"2021-07-20T14:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/researchers-invented-a-new-touchscreen-material-so-we-never-run-out\/"},"modified":"2021-07-20T17:58:19","modified_gmt":"2021-07-20T14:58:19","slug":"researchers-invented-a-new-touchscreen-material-so-we-never-run-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/researchers-invented-a-new-touchscreen-material-so-we-never-run-out\/","title":{"rendered":"#Researchers invented a new touchscreen material so we never run out"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a393e98a0e27\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a393e98a0e27\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/researchers-invented-a-new-touchscreen-material-so-we-never-run-out\/#A_worsening_problem\" >A worsening problem<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/researchers-invented-a-new-touchscreen-material-so-we-never-run-out\/#How_does_it_work\" >How does it work?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Researchers invented a new touchscreen material so we never run out<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>Have you ever imagined your smartphone or tablet without a touchscreen? This could soon be the case if we run out of indium, one of the rarest minerals on Earth.<\/p>\n<p>Indium is used in many high-tech devices such as touch screens, smartphones, solar panels, and smart windows, in the form of indium tin oxide. This compound is optically transparent and electrically conductive \u2014 the two crucial features required for touch screens to work.<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s a problem: we have no guaranteed long-term supply of indium. It is naturally found only in tiny traces and is therefore impractical to mine directly. Almost all of the world\u2019s indium comes as a byproduct of zinc mining.<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, we have a potential solution: my colleagues and I have developed a new way to make optically transparent and electrically conductive coatings without indium.\n<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_worsening_problem\"><\/span>A worsening problem<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Because the world\u2019s indium supply is tied to zinc mining, its availability and price will depend on the demand for zinc.<\/p>\n<p>Possible declines in zinc demand \u2014 already evident in the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.metalbulletin.com\/Article\/3342337\/MB-ZINC-CONF-Amount-of-zinc-used-per-car-to-decline-ArcelorMittal-says.html\">car manufacturing industry<\/a> \u2014 along with the ever-increasing usage of smartphones and touch panels \u2014 are set to exacerbate the potential shortage of indium in the future.<\/p>\n<p>One option is to try and recycle indium. But recovering it from used devices is expensive because of the tiny amounts involved.<\/p>\n<p>When a crucial material is in short supply, we should look for alternatives. And that\u2019s exactly what my colleagues and I have found.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_does_it_work\"><\/span>How does it work?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Our new coating, details of which are published in the journal Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, involves plasma <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Plasma is like a soup of charged particles in which electrons have been ripped away from their atoms, and is often described as the fourth state of matter, after solid, liquid, and gas. It might sound like an exotic substance, but in fact, it comprises <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/science-news\/science-at-nasa\/1999\/ast07sep99_1\">more than 99% of the visible objects in the universe<\/a>. Our Sun, like most stars, is essentially a giant ball of glowing plasma.<\/p>\n<p>Closer to home, fluorescent light bulbs and neon signs also contain plasma. Our new touchscreen films don\u2019t contain plasma, but their manufacture uses plasma as a way to create new materials that would otherwise be impossible to make.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center zoomable\">\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/411828\/original\/file-20210719-21-8um59w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Plasma apparatus\" width=\"600\" height=\"542\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/411828\/original\/file-20210719-21-8um59w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\"\/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/411828\/original\/file-20210719-21-8um59w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"Plasma apparatus\" width=\"600\" height=\"542\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Ftech%2F2021%2F07%2F20%2Findium-alternative-wont-run-out-touchscreen-devices-syndication%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: The new material is created using a process called plasma sputtering. Behnam Akhavan\" data-title=\"Share The new material is created using a process called plasma sputtering. Behnam Akhavan on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share The new material is created using a process called plasma sputtering. Behnam Akhavan on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>The new material is created using a process called plasma sputtering. Behnam Akhavan<\/figcaption><\/figure><figcaption\/><\/figure>\n<p>Our coating is made of an ultra-thin layer of silver, sandwiched between two layers of tungsten oxide. This structure is less than 100 nanometres thick \u2014 roughly one-thousandth of the width of a human hair.<\/p>\n<p>These ultra-thin sandwich layers are created and coated onto glass using a process called \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alcatechnology.com\/en\/blog\/magnetron-sputtering\/\">plasma sputtering<\/a>\u201d. This involves subjecting a mixture of argon and oxygen gases to a strong electric field until this mixture transforms into the plasma state. The plasma is used to bombard a tungsten solid target, detaching atoms from it and depositing them as a super-thin layer onto the glass surface.<\/p>\n<p>We then repeat this process using silver, and then a final third time tungsten oxide embedded with silver nanoparticles. The entire process takes only a few minutes, produces minimal waste, is cheaper than using indium, and can be used for any glass surface such as a phone screen or window.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center zoomable\">\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/411844\/original\/file-20210719-19-1dw3v4w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Diagram of the structure\" width=\"600\" height=\"454\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/411844\/original\/file-20210719-19-1dw3v4w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\"\/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/411844\/original\/file-20210719-19-1dw3v4w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"Diagram of the structure\" width=\"600\" height=\"454\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Ftech%2F2021%2F07%2F20%2Findium-alternative-wont-run-out-touchscreen-devices-syndication%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: The finished result is a sandwich of tungsten oxide and silver, coated onto glass. Behnam Akhavan, Author provided\" data-title=\"Share The finished result is a sandwich of tungsten oxide and silver, coated onto glass. Behnam Akhavan, Author provided on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share The finished result is a sandwich of tungsten oxide and silver, coated onto glass. Behnam Akhavan, Author provided on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>The finished result is a sandwich of tungsten oxide and silver, coated onto glass. Behnam Akhavan, Author provided<\/figcaption><\/figure><figcaption\/><\/figure>\n<p>The finished plasma coating also has another intriguing feature: it is <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Electrochromism\">electrochromic<\/a>, meaning it can become more or less opaque, or change color if an electrical voltage is <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lied.<\/p>\n<p>This means it could be used to create super-thin \u201cprintable displays\u201d that can become dimmer or brighter, or change color as desired. They would be flexible and use little power, meaning they could be used for a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ynvisible.com\/news-inspiration\/what-is-an-electrochromic-display\">range of purposes<\/a> including smart labels or smart windows.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1361302 js-lazy\" alt=\"The material\u2019s opacity can be changed by varying the voltage. Behnam Akhavan, Author provided\" width=\"491\" height=\"548\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 491px) 100vw, 491px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/07\/Syndi3.jpeg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/07\/Syndi3.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/07\/Syndi3-188x210.jpeg 188w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/07\/Syndi3-242x270.jpeg 242w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/07\/Syndi3-121x135.jpeg 121w\"\/><figcaption>Credit: Behnam Akhavan, Author provided<\/figcaption><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Ftech%2F2021%2F07%2F20%2Findium-alternative-wont-run-out-touchscreen-devices-syndication%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: The material\u2019s opacity can be changed by varying the voltage.\" data-title=\"Share The material\u2019s opacity can be changed by varying the voltage. on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share The material\u2019s opacity can be changed by varying the voltage. on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>The material\u2019s opacity can be changed by varying the voltage.<\/figcaption><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1361302\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/07\/Syndi3.jpeg\" alt=\"The material\u2019s opacity can be changed by varying the voltage. Behnam Akhavan, Author provided\" width=\"491\" height=\"548\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/07\/Syndi3.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/07\/Syndi3-188x210.jpeg 188w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/07\/Syndi3-242x270.jpeg 242w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/07\/Syndi3-121x135.jpeg 121w\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>Our new indium-free technology holds great potential to manufacture the next-generation touch-screen devices such as smartphones or electronic papers, as well as smart windows and solar cells for environmental sustainability. This technology is ready to be scaled up for creating coatings on commercial glass, and we are now doing further research and development to adapt them for future wearable electronic devices. Smart windows coated with our new films could be used to block the flow of light and thus heat as required. Our plasma film can be applied to any glass surface, which can then be set to adjust its transparency depending on the weather outside. Unlike existing \u201cphotochromic\u201d spectacle lenses, which respond to ambient light levels, our material responds to electrical signals, meaning it can be manipulated at will.<\/p>\n<p><em>Article by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/behnam-akhavan-1251074\">Behnam Akhavan<\/a>, Senior Lecturer, ARC DECRA Fellow, School of Biomedical Engineering and School of Physics, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-sydney-841\">University of Sydney<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/the-world-might-run-out-of-a-crucial-ingredient-of-touch-screens-but-dont-worry-weve-invented-an-alternative-164631\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/indium-alternative-wont-run-out-touchscreen-devices-syndication\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Researchers invented a new touchscreen material so we never run out&#8221; Have you ever imagined your smartphone or tablet without a touchscreen? This could soon be the case if we run out of indium, one of the rarest minerals on Earth. Indium is used in many high-tech devices such as touch screens, smartphones, solar panels,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":303608,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/07\/brightness-KbpjCGIcfbo-unsplash.jpg&signature=59d2029bd5a40cdc157308191b7a1bc7","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-303607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303607\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/303608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}