Russian scientists are developing sitall (unbreakable glass) for LG smartphones

Sitalla sheets

Russian University of Chemical Technology Mendeleev signed a contract with LG CHEM to develop a new glass-ceramic material for use as a shatter-proof display in smartphones.

Sitalls are glass-ceramic materials obtained by bulk crystallization of glasses and consisting of one or several crystalline phases evenly distributed in the vitreous phase. There are lithium, boric-barium, magnesium, titanium and other sitalls. They are usually used for the manufacture of parts that require strength and heat resistance: instrument cases, chip substrates, missile fairings, chemical resistant equipment. Substrate mirrors for large-size astronomical telescopes on the ground and space based are made of sitall.

But to use Sitall in smartphones and surpass the characteristics of Gorning Glass from Corning, you need a new process technology.

The work is being conducted at the Department of Glass and Sitalls RHTU . According to the information available, the new material is stronger and stronger than all known types of protective glass, including the Gorilla Glass coating.

Gorilla Glass is a chemically hardened glass of increased resistance to impact, which is produced by the American Corning Corporation. During chemical processing, sodium ions in the material are replaced by potassium ions. The sixth generation of Corning Gorilla Glass 6 is presented on July 18, 2018 : it withstands 15 drops to a solid surface from a height of 1 meter: twice as much as Gorilla Glass 5. In addition to smartphones, this glass is used in the automotive industry: for example, wind and rear are made of it windows sports car Ford GT.



Attempts to use sitalls to cover displays are undertaken by leading research centers and large companies. However, scientists from the RCSTU believe that they are able to implement a fundamentally new approach: they want to develop "glass that can be produced in the form of a thin ribbon, followed by nanocrystallization and the creation of a thin cellulose structure."

Russian chemical engineers have not yet announced the completion date of the project. First we have to make the first prototype, which will be tested in the LG CHEM laboratories.