Antimicrobial Gorilla Glass to "get tough" on germs

Corning has announced that the next version of Gorilla Glass will feature antimicrobial protection to help kill some of the germs that collect on your smartphone. Corning has talked about the plans back in July last year, but now we're getting the proper details about how it will all be done. The plan is to infuse the chemically-strengthened Gorilla Glass with silver ions which are known to have antibacterial properties. Corning says that by doing this, it should be able to kill 99.9% of the germs on your smartphone glass, and all at a minimal cost. The cost of the raw materials alone is said to be less than 50 cents per device.

The silver ions will continually work to kill off the germs on your display, and Corning says that they will retain their efficacy for the lifetime of your phone. Additionally, Corning is working on a new anti-reflection coating for its glass, but still no word on banishing fingerprints.