New Materials

How might new materials make a smartphone more sustainable?

The minerals and metals needed to make smartphones are nonrenewable resources. Although attempts to recover materials are improving with recycling incentives, there are still environmental, economic, and social costs associated with the materials in smartphones and other electronic devices. It may not be possible to duplicate the performance of some natural materials, but research is underway to find more sustainable materials.

Your mission is to identify a new application of graphene that produces a more smartphone. Describe the natural materials used to fabricate the synthetic material. Explain the properties of the synthetic material, Compose an argument, supported by evidence, why the new material improves smartphone sustainability.

Criteria

A more sustainable smartphone would need to:

  • use less energy (electronic components)
  • have a more efficient recharge (battery)
  • have no toxic or hazardous materials (all components)
  • use sustainable and/or recycled materials (raw materials)
  • be made using environmentally and socially conscious manufacturing (manufacturing process)
  • be more durable (useful life)
  • be recyclable (disposal process)
  • nave low radiation emission rates (raw materials)

How could new materials incorporating graphine improve smartphone sustainability?

What part of the smartphone would you change - casing, t ouch screen, battery, electronics?

What raw materials would you propose replacing with new graphene materials?

Search for patents for ideas.

patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html (US Patent and Trademark Office)

https://patents.google.com/

Suggested search terms: graphene, battery, touchscreen, circuit, microchip, super capacitor, antenna, smartphone

example: smartphone graphene touchscreen

YOU MUST CREDIT THE PATENT HOLDER!

What could replace indium tin oxide in a touch screen?

Gorilla glass and Sapphire glass are two major brands of smartphone cover glass. To work, most smartphone touch screens depend on indium tin oxide. Tin and indium are nonrenewable resources. Could new materials make touch screen technology more sustainable?

How do semiconductors work in your smartphone?

View the video to find out more about transistors in your smartphone. Could new materials be developed to make smartphones "smarter"?

What about graphene?

Graphene has potential for smartphone applications from touch screen to batteries to electronic components. The video describing graphene was published in 2015. A commercial graphene battery was announced in 2016.

Do research to find additional information.

Could graphene be the next capacitor material?

At 1 atom of thickness, graphene is so thin it is considered to be a two-dimensional material. Since each carbon is bonded to only three other carbons, graphene has free electrons. This makes carbon a great conductor of electricity.

View the video to find out how graphene might be used to create supercapacitors.

Could bioplastics be the answer?

Most plastics are polymers made from petroleum. Could bioplastics be a more sustainable material?

Analyze the pros and cons.