<
https://theconversation.com/the-world-might-run-out-of-a-crucial-ingredient-of-touch-screens-but-dont-worry-weve-invented-an-alternative-164631>
"Have you ever imagined your smart phone or tablet without a touch screen? 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, smart phones,
solar panels and smart windows, in the form of indium tin oxide. This compound
is optically transparent and electrically conductive — the two crucial features
required for touch screens to work.
But there’s 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’s indium comes as a byproduct of zinc mining.
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."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
