TECH

When we will have self-regenerating cell phones

More and more companies are investing in new technologies to reduce the waste generated by modern society, reusing and giving new functions to the products.The so-called "circular economy", a concept that is part of the discussion on sustainable development, has explored new frontiers - one of which is the prospect of making high-tech materials that can be fixed on their own.You do not have to be the Cyborg of Terminator 2 to know that the ability to self-regenerate can be very useful. After all, our bodies do it all the time. But what if our phones, prone to cracks and scratches, could do that, too?In January, technology giant Samsung patented an "anti-fingerprint composition with a self-regenerating property" - which, it is speculated, would be incorporated into the company's upcoming smartphone, the S10 - slated for release in early 2019 - so he could repair minor scratches.Although a patent is by no means a guarantee that a particular product will hit the market, this Samsung has caught the attention of fans of smartphones that have long awaited tougher devices.But how can an inanimate object heal itself? And is it really likely that we will see self-repair phones, or other products, on the market so soon?Research in the world of materials engineering often goes slower than certain headlines from science publications may imply.
Take, for example, the self-repairing polymer, a series of clustered molecules, as reported in the Science journal late last year. Discovered by accident, the polymer is able to self-regenerate when a small fissure is formed, thanks to a substance called thiourea.It contains hydrogen atoms that create new bonds with one another in a subtle zigzag pattern when the damaged material is gently squeezed. The zigzag repair line prevents crystallization - which helps keep the material rigid.

This has been reported on many news sites as a potential material to be used in the fabrication of smartphone screens. But Professor Takuzo Aida of the University of Tokyo, one of the authors of the report, says he does not think this particular polymer would be the right one. According to him, the material would not be strong enough to withstand the pressures of everyday outdoor use.

The Takuzo Aida team is working on the development of these self-regenerating polymers

"I think the first application should be on a device to be used indoors," he says.
Likewise, a self-regenerating polymer developed at the University of California, Riverside, has been singled out as a potential savior of the cell phone screen - but so far it has only been tested on artificial models in the laboratory.The self-regenerating screen is a plausible idea, but it may take a few years before you can actually buy one. Future generations of phones can make repairs on themselves in other ways, though. The internal circuitry can be resistant to damage thanks to self-regenerating conductors such as the one being tested at Carnegie Mellon University."The idea of ​​having electrical circuits that can be repaired without any interaction or human intervention has potentially huge applications," says Rian Whitton of ABI. But the people most likely to benefit from this technology may be the ones who need it for specialized applications."Maybe in high-risk situations, involving first responders or military men," Whitton suggests.
Returning to polymers, field experts say that the class of self-regenerating materials is reasonably well developed. In fact, some products already contain them.
"You can already find in some coatings, in addition to car paints that own them," says Sandra Lucas of the University of Technology in Eindhoven.
In fact, the US company Feynlab has developed a coating for use in cars containing ceramic polymers capable of filling small scratches.
"Imagine nanosized magnets stuck to the end of durable ceramic chains, creating a 'memory polymer'," explains the company's website. "The memory polymer recovers to its original state (repaired) when heated."
But how to warm the car? Leave it in direct sunlight - or place hot water on the affected area. There are some videos on the internet of self-repairing liner demonstrations.
Risks on the surface are one thing, but what if materials could also cure deeper faults? Research on metals of self-regeneration - completely different - is also producing promising results at an early stage. The idea is to create metals that can better cope with the pressures caused by repeated daily use, known to cause structural failure.



BBC