Self-Healing Screen Material GlassMend Released: Phone Screen Scratches Heal Automatically Within 24 Hours

Self-Healing Screen Material GlassMend Released: Phone Screen Scratches Heal Automatically Within 24 Hours

On March 17, 2029, a materials science team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) published a paper in Science announcing the development of GlassMend, a self-healing glass material. The material can automatically repair surface scratches up to 50 micrometers deep at room temperature within 24 hours, with post-repair optical transmittance recovering to 99.2% of the original state.

GlassMend's core technology embeds microcapsule arrays approximately 10 micrometers in diameter within a glass matrix. Each microcapsule contains liquid siloxane precursor and a platinum-based catalyst. When a scratch cuts through a microcapsule, the precursor flows out and rapidly cross-links under the catalyst's action, filling and repairing the damaged area.

Corresponding author and KAIST Professor Park Joon-ho said: "Traditional self-healing polymers leave visible marks after repair and have much lower hardness than glass. GlassMend's key breakthrough is that the repair product's refractive index and hardness are nearly identical to the original glass matrix."

Samsung Display has signed a three-year joint development agreement with KAIST, planning to apply GlassMend technology to Galaxy flagship phone screen covers by the end of 2030. Samsung Display Vice President Kim Tae-won said: "The number one reason users replace their phones is screen scratches and cracks. If screens can self-repair scratches, it will significantly extend device lifespan."

GlassMend currently has two limitations: repair is limited to surface scratches and cannot fix deep cracks or shattering; the microcapsules' self-healing capacity depletes after approximately 50 uses. Park Joon-ho says the team is researching recyclable microcapsule systems with the goal of unlimited repair capability.