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Smartphone screens, like the egos of men, appear sturdy but are easily shattered. It’s a problem that tech companies have been slow to solve, probably because people having to pay them to fix or replace their cracked devices is kind of an ideal situation. Luckily, scientists are stepping in to do what Tim Cook and co will not: invent smash-proof glass.A study led by the Australian National University and France’s Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris looks at feasible ways that the atomic structure of alumino-silicate glass, the type used by smartphone manufacturers, could be modified in order to increase its resilience."The glasses we analysed are mostly composed of aluminium and silicon oxides, and can also contain various elements such as sodium, potassium, calcium or magnesium—each element influences the flexibility and resistance of the glass," lead researcher Dr Charles Le Losq said in an ANU media release. The researchers found that increasing the levels of sodium and potassium might make alumino-silicate glass more flexible and less breakable.Understanding the chemical composition of alumino-silicate glass won’t just give us better smartphones. Molten alumino-silicate actually makes up most of the earth’s magma, so a better understanding of its structure has broad implications for the geological research field. We’d know more about volcanic activity, and have more of an insight into how the earth was formed in the first place.Le Losq also says that the study’s findings could help develop a glass that would be suitable for storing nuclear waste more effectively.But yeah—smartphones. We will one day be able to drunkenly drop them face down on the floor without having to endure that painful will-it-or-won’t-it-survive smashed screen reveal. Although your local repair shop won't be out of business any time soon: researchers estimate they’ll have more conclusive findings within the next five to ten years.Follow Kat on Twitter
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