Seth Adriel R.

Baldovino August 22, 2017

T3B MatScie Assignment

Materials composing the Smartphone

In line with the field of chemistry, smartphones are very much linked to the roots of the
said science. Of the 83 stable (nonradioactive) elements in the periodic table, at least 70
of them can be found in smartphones. This accounts for 84% of all of the stable elements.
Metals are what make smartphones so “smart.” An average smartphone may contain up
to 62 different types of metals. One rather obscure group of metals—the rare-earth
metals—plays a vital role. These rare-earth metals include scandium and yttrium, as well
as elements 57–71. Elements 57–71 are known as the lanthanides, because they begin
with the element lanthanum. The lanthanides often appear as the first of two free-floating
rows located at the bottom of the periodic table. Scandium and yttrium are included in the
rare-earth metals because their chemical properties are similar to those of the
lanthanides.
In terms of its glass, the smartphone’s glass is made from aluminium oxide and silicon
dioxide with an ultra-thin layer of indium tin oxide added so you can touch the screen
without damaging it.
The third most common material found is plastic. Plastic is often used in the case in place
of metal. The use of plastic in a cell phone makes it more resistant to damagewhen you
drop or scratch it. Plastic is also used since it can stand up to all but the most extreme
temperature fluctuations. The material is very flexible, and it does not cause reception
problems when you're trying to find a cell signal.
Meanwhile, majority of today’s phones use lithium ion batteries. These batteries tend to
use lithium cobalt oxide as the positive electrode in the battery (though other transition
metals are sometimes used in place of cobalt), whilst the negative electrode is formed
from carbon in the form of graphite. It will also have an organic solvent to act as the
electrolytic fluid.
Lastly, a wide range of elements and compounds are used in the electronics of a phone.
The chip, the processor of the phone, is made from pure silicon, which is then exposed
to oxygen and heat in order to produce a film of silicon dioxide on its surface. Parts of this
silicon dioxide layer are then removed where current will be required to flow. Silicon does
not conduct electricity without being ‘doped’ with other elements; this process involves
the silicon being bombarded with a variety of different elements, which can include
phosphorus, antimony, arsenic, boron, indium or gallium. Different types of
semiconductor (P or N) are produced depending on the element used, with boron being
the most common type of P-type dopant.
The micro-electrical components and wiring in the phone are composed mainly of copper,
gold, and silver. Tantalum is also used, being the main component of micro-capacitors. A
range of other elements, including platinum and palladium are also used, but detail on the
specific applications of these was a little tricker to track down! Solder is used to join
electrical components together – this was, in years past, usually composed of tin and
lead, but in recent years lead-free alternatives have been sought, many of which use a
combination of tin, silver and copper.

The microphone and speaker of the phone both contain magnets, which are usually
neodymium-iron-boron alloys, though dysprosium and praseodymium are often also
present in the alloy. These are also found in the vibration unit of the phone.