In recent years, the smartphone market has undergone a significant revolution with the advent of foldable phones. These devices have not only transcended traditional exterior design conventions, but have also demonstrated enormous potential in terms of functionality and portability. So, why can mobile phones fold? The key lies in the use of a variety of advanced materials and technologies.
I. Main materials of flexible screens
- OLED technology
Foldable phones primarily use organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology. Compared to traditional LCD screens, OLEDs offer advantages such as self-illumination, elegance, lightness, and high contrast. More importantly, OLED screens achieve high flexibility, ensuring they maintain excellent visual quality even after repeated folding and unfolding.
- Flexible substrate
The base material of OLED displays generally uses flexible substrates, such as polyimide (PI) filmThis material possesses exceptional flexibility and heat resistance, allowing it to withstand frequent bending without breaking or losing performance. The use of flexible substrates is essential to making the screen bendable.
II. High-strength protective layer
- Ultra-fine glass
To protect the flexible OLED screen, many foldable phones use ultra-thin glass (Ultra Thin Glass, UTG). Compared to traditional glass, UTG is lighter and thinner, and has a certain flexibility, allowing the screen to maintain its strength while allowing for a degree of curvature. The application of UTG effectively improves the screen's durability and scratch resistance.
- Flexible plastic materials
Some foldable phones opt to use flexible plastic materials, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), as protective layers for the screen. These materials offer greater flexibility and can withstand a greater bending range, although their scratch resistance and transparency may be slightly lower than ultrathin glass.
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The hinge mechanism in foldable phones is equally crucial. A high-precision hinge design allows the phone to fold and unfold smoothly, ensuring screen alignment and stability. Modern hinges typically employ precision mechanical engineering designs combined with lightweight materials like titanium alloys or stainless steel, ensuring that the hinges maintain excellent performance even after repeated use.
IV. Flexible circuits and conductive materials
To ensure that electronic components function properly during the bending process, foldable phones use flexible circuits. These circuits employ liquid metals or conductive inks as conductive materials, offering high plasticity and conductivity. Liquid metals such as gallium-based alloys can maintain stable conductivity during bending, while conductive inks form complex circuit patterns by printing on the flexible substrates.
V. Production processes and technologies
The production of foldable phones involves numerous advanced technologies, including precision semiconductor manufacturing processes, high-precision machining, and nanometer-level materials processing. These processes ensure the seamless integration of different materials and the overall reliability of the device.
Conclusion
The advent of foldable phones depends on the synergy of various advanced materials and precision technologies. From flexible OLED displays, ultra-thin glass protection layers, flexible liquid metal circuits, and high-precision hinge mechanisms, each material and technology plays a crucial role in ensuring the phone can be repeatedly folded while maintaining exceptional performance and a superior user experience. With continued technological advancements, future foldable phones will be even lighter and more durable, representing an important direction in smartphone development.
Stanford Advanced Materials Company offers a variety of high-performance materials, including titanium alloys, stainless steel, polyamide-imide films, PET films and liquid metals.
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