Chinese scientists reveal ‘liquid armour’ secret of Huawei’s foldable smartphone
- Researchers developed an inner layer of material that hardens instantly on impact before returning to its flexible state
- The screen’s strength relies on a scientific principle that can turn a starch slurry into a solid as long as it is under pressure
Huawei’s technical team told the Post that the resilience of its Mate X3 and X5 phones stemmed from the unique properties of a flexible inner screen beneath the scratch-resistant outer surface.
The material – which took more than 100 experiments to develop – is based on a phenomenon that turns starch solution in the right proportions into a non-Newtonian fluid that acts like water but hardens into a solid under sudden impact.
Much like people seen in TikTok videos running across a pool filled with starch slurry without sinking, the trick is to move quickly, as the slurry hardens directly beneath each step before instantly returning to liquid when the pressure is gone.
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Paint and honey can also become non-Newtonian fluids under certain conditions and the phenomenon’s unique property is already used to make military liquid body armour.