A phone screen you can’t scratch no matter how many times you drop it; glasses that prevent glare; a windshield that doesn’t get dusty. These are all possibilities thanks to a new way to produce sapphire.
Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered techniques to bestow superpowers upon sapphire, a material that most of us think of as just a pretty jewel. But sapphire is seen as a critical material across many different areas, from defense to consumer electronics to next-generation windows, because it’s nearly impossible to scratch.
“Sapphire is such a high-value material because of its hardness and many other favorable properties,” said Chih-Hao Chang, associate professor in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering and leader of the new research. “But the same properties that make it attractive also make it difficult to manufacture at small scales.”