60秒科學節目（SSS）是科學美國人網站的一套廣播欄目，英文名稱：Scientific American - 60 Second Science,節目內容以科學報道為主，節目僅一分鐘的時間，主要對當今的`科學技術新發展作以簡明、通俗的介紹，對於科學的發展如何影響人們的生活環境、健康狀況及科學技術，提供了大量簡明易懂的闡釋。
A cracked smartphone screen's no good. But future phones may be sold with cracks built in—because a network of tiny cracks can actually toughen up a piece of glass.
The crack research team borrowed the concept from mother-of-pearl, the iridescent stuff in abalone shells. It's 3000 times stronger than the mineral it's made of, due to its jigsawlike construction.
Using a 3-D laser engraver—the tool used to make those glass trophies with a logo floating inside—the researchers carved cracks a few microns wide into glass slides, and filled the cracks with polyurethane. The resulting glass was 200 times tougher, because the microcracks dissipate energy, preventing larger cracks. The study is in the journal Nature Communications. [M. Mirkhalaf, A. Khayer Dastjerdi and F. Barthelat, Overcoming the brittleness of glass through bio-inspiration and micro-architecture]
The cracks in this study are visible—so, not suitable for a smartphone screen. But the researchers say it's possible to shrink them down to less than a micron wide, an imperceptible size. As to whether crack-proof screens are a good business model, well, how much are you willing to shell out for an unbreakable phone?
—Christopher Intagliata
