36: What Materials Are In Your Smartphone (ft. Dr. Marty Jopson)

Your smartphone is so essential to your everyday life that the complexity behind its design might go unnoticed. You carry billions of transistors and about 38 elements in your pocket every day. This technology is a culmination of decades of computing and materials advancements, and it evolves every day, becoming even more impressive than it already is.

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Today’s guest is Dr. Marty Jopson, a science TV presenter, communicator, and self-proclaimed science geek. In this episode he uncovers the materials that make up our smartphones.

In this conversation, we discuss the following topics:

• How to be an effective science communicator
• Gorilla glass and touchscreen technology
• Liquid crystal displays in phone screens
• Rare earth elements for inner electronics
• What makes silicon special?
• Advantages of neodymium magnets in phone cameras, vibration mode, microphones, etc.
• Plastic components in phone casing

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Thank you Joao Morgado for editing this episode!

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Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed by either guests or hosts in this show are their own, and do not represent the opinions of the companies or organizations for which they are affiliated.

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