Your phone screen is broken? Don’t worry, “live” materials can save it!

Produced by: Science Popularization China

Author: Ishimiya

Producer: China Science Expo

With the advancement of technology, smartphones have become a necessity for modern people. We can stay at home and not socialize, but we absolutely cannot live without our phones. But when our phones accidentally fall to the ground and the screen is smashed, it costs a lot to repair the screen or buy a new one. But scientists have found a better new option for us - a self-healing phone screen!

Broken phone screen

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

How can a mobile phone screen achieve self-repair?

The self-repair of mobile phone screens starts with a new type of living functional material.

Recently, scientists have developed a microcarrier bioreactor using the "liquid-liquid phase separation" technology of protein molecules. The so-called microcarrier refers to the process of cell culture. Since cells often need to attach to the surface of certain objects to grow, some micron-sized small particles are put into them. This can greatly increase the surface area available for cell growth in the culture dish, making it convenient for large-scale cell culture. The so-called bioreactor refers to equipment that can provide a suitable environment for certain biochemical reactions, simulate the functions of organisms, and allow cells to carry out biochemical reactions in them. For example, the fermentation tank for brewing is a bioreactor. In the past, the two were separated, but the recently developed new microcarrier bioreactor is hollow and contains various active substances required for biological reactions. These active substances can move freely inside the microcarrier. In this way, this microcarrier bioreactor has both catalytic ability and large-scale cell culture.

At the same time, a bioconversion reactor system was constructed using microcarriers as a medium, which can achieve rapid microbial energy transfer and efficient material conversion in microscale space, greatly improving the efficiency of biocatalysis. The material has good biocompatibility and adjustable functions, and can be extended to the preparation of new living materials in the fields of biosensing and self-repair, thus opening up new ideas for the manufacture of chemicals and future life materials. The material was successfully used in the efficient biosynthesis of phenylethanol molecules, and its production efficiency was increased by 12 times.

Schematic diagram of the production of functional living materials

(Image source: Reference 1)

In addition, living functional materials can also be loaded with different biologically active materials and developed into different functional substances, which can then be formed into substances of different shapes through 3D printing. It can be seen that if the mobile phone screen is made of active functional materials, when it is broken, it will activate the self-repair function and become intact. At that time, we will no longer have to worry about the broken screen of the mobile phone!

3D Printing

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

What other smart materials are there?

Temperature-changing clothing

I believe everyone wants to wear smart temperature-changing clothing to keep the body cool in summer and cool in winter. The automatic temperature-changing material developed by scientists can make temperature-changing clothing a reality. This material is mainly made of wool, on which an ultra-thin layer of metal material is coated. By using the conductive properties of metal, when the body temperature is too high, the clothes will shrink and discharge heat from the body; when the body temperature is too low, the clothes will expand and absorb external energy. In this way, the temperature can be automatically adjusted under overcooling or overheating conditions, making the body more comfortable.

Temperature-changing clothing

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

Intelligent self-cleaning glass

Glass is an important part of buildings. With the increasing number of buildings, the proportion of glass is increasing, and the demand for glass cleaning is increasing. The emergence of self-cleaning glass has greatly reduced the dangerous operation of the exterior walls of high-rise buildings. Scientists coat the outer layer of transparent glass with hydrophilic photocatalytic mineral materials. When the ultraviolet rays in the sun radiate onto the window, the material will decompose the dirt after being irradiated, making the glass surface hydrophilic. When rain comes, a layer of water film will form on the surface of the glass, effectively reducing dirt.

Cleaning the Glass

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

Technology changes life, and innovation leads the future! I believe that as scientists continue to deepen their research, more and more new materials that are beneficial to our lives will be introduced. In the future, we must maintain our love and curiosity for life, and keep moving forward with a heart of constant exploration! Let us look forward to a better future together!

References:

[1] Ou, Y., Cao, S., Zhang, Y. et al. Bioprinting microporous functional living materials from protein-based core-shell microgels. Nat Commun 14, 322 (2023).

[2] Duan Qiongjuan, Wang Biao, Wang Huaping. Research progress of self-cleaning glass. New Chemical Materials 9, 3 (2009).

[3] Gong Jixian. Current status and prospects of intelligent clothing. Modern Textile Technology, 12(1):3 2004.