Light Alloy Institute: Aluminum-Based Composite Materials—The Secret Weapon Behind Thinner Smartphones
2025-04-10
In 2007, the original iPhone redefined the smartphone with its lightweight design at just 135 grams; by 2024, foldable phones weighing in at a mere 236 grams when fully unfolded and measuring 8 inches. Over the past seventeen years, smartphone performance has skyrocketed—computing power has increased by ten thousand times, battery capacity has grown fivefold, and camera modules have become exponentially more complex—yet devices have continued to shrink in weight. But how exactly has this remarkable feat been achieved? Today, let’s unravel the mystery behind this groundbreaking material and discover how it’s become the key to making phones lighter and sleeker than ever before.
Early mobile phones were bulky and surprisingly heavy—holding them felt like carrying a brick. Back then, most phone casings were made from plastic or steel, which, while cost-effective and reasonably durable, simply couldn’t meet consumers’ growing demands for sleek design and lightweight portability. With the advent of the smartphone era, users have become increasingly discerning, no longer satisfied with just powerful performance—they now crave devices that are both elegant and effortlessly light.
In modern technology product design, controlling and optimizing weight has become a critical economic consideration. Mobile phone manufacturers fully understand that every gram shaved off hides significant cost savings—and untapped market potential. Achieving this goal, however, is no easy feat, as it requires carefully balancing factors like material strength, thermal performance, and manufacturing processes. Each successful weight-reduction effort is the result of countless experiments and meticulous optimizations by the research teams behind the scenes.
The aluminum-based silicon carbide composite material (SiC/Al composite), independently developed by the Institute of Aerospace Technology (Light Alloy Institute), is a leading example of next-generation high-performance composites. It combines aluminum's lightweight properties with silicon carbide's exceptional features—such as high strength and wear resistance—making it widely used across various industries, including aerospace, automotive, electronics, and defense.
Standing out among numerous materials as the go-to choice for "slimming down" smartphones, it boasts several outstanding performance features:
Aluminum-based composite materials boast exceptional performance and are hailed as the "hexagonal warrior" of the materials field, featuring remarkable attributes such as low density, high modulus, and excellent thermal conductivity.
1. With a density of only 2.80 g/cm³—comparable to aluminum alloy and significantly lower than that of steel materials—
2. With a modulus of elasticity exceeding 100 GPa—significantly higher than traditional materials like aluminum and magnesium alloys—this is an outstanding low-density, high-specific-stiffness material.
3. Its thermal conductivity is higher than that of titanium alloys, stainless steel, and carbon fiber, enabling efficient heat transfer from high-temperature to low-temperature areas. Additionally, it exhibits a low coefficient of thermal expansion, ensuring dimensional stability of the equipment even under temperature fluctuations.
Performance of Aerospace Institute (Light Alloy Institute) Aluminum-Based Silicon Carbide Composites
Currently, the Aerospace Institute (Lightweight Research Alloy) has successfully implemented weight-reduction applications of aluminum-based silicon carbide composites in flagship models from several well-known smartphone brands.
For instance, a major international manufacturer recently launched a new foldable smartphone that features this advanced material in its frame. Not only does the phone boast an exceptionally sleek and ultra-thin design, but it also excels in durability and heat dissipation, earning widespread acclaim from consumers and the market alike.
Performance of Aerospace Institute (Light Alloy Institute) Aluminum-Based Silicon Carbide Composites
Every advancement in mobile phones has been made possible thanks to the support of materials science. We believe that aluminum-based silicon carbide composites, as a key driver of this revolution, will continue to shape the future direction of the industry, delivering even more exceptional product experiences to users.
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