Most smartphones today feature some sort of oleophobic or oil-repellent coating on its displays, mainly to prevent fingerprint marks. Sadly, the coating will wear off or even scratched off if not treated properly. Samsung seemingly has found a way to allow the coating to self-heal according to a recently filed patent at the World Intellectual Property Ogranization (WIPO).
The patent listed several chemical compounds – polyrotaxane, polyhedral silsesquioxane, and fluorinated (meth)acryl – as well as lamination, presumably to bind the chemicals onto the glass screen. The mechanics of how the screen will heal itself is not mentioned, but the patent says that the new screen will have a low friction coefficient with excellent slip properties, excellent water repellency, and high hardness and transparency.
Having these properties will ensure any skin oils will not stick onto the glass, thus preventing it becoming a fingerprint magnet. Interestingly, the patent also shows a folding screen as part of the patent application, hinting that this technology may be used in the future Galaxy smartphones.
Well, we still have to wait and see if this technology will actually appeared on Samsung future devices though as not all patents made their way to real life products. Nevertheless, it may be the answers to our prayers of having smartphones that no longer act as fingerprint magnets.
(Source: WIPO via Android Headlines)
