14 DAY TRIAL // An interview with the co-inventor of Liquidmetal alloys, Dr. Atakan Peker, has revealed that the elusive material may be on the blueprints for Apple’s iPhone 5, particularly on the radio reception front.
Liquidmetal might be a good choice for building the next-generation antenna replacing the problematic part in the iPhone 4, said Dr. Atakan Peker, during an exclusive interview with CultofMac.
“Let me state that this is very exciting for me,” he said. “I made the first and original alloy formulations… I am a big Mac fan and admire greatly Apple as a company.
“I have been using Mac exclusively my whole life, both at work and home. It is a pleasant surprise for me to see both get together,” Peker added.
Although he did make the very first alloy formulations, Peker is not the single inventor of Liquidmetal alloys.
He co-invented Liquidmetal alloys with engineering professor Bill Johnson, in 1993. At the time, Peker was a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology.
The scientist was later named Vice President of research at Liquidmetal Technologies, a move labeled as “a Caltech spinoff set up to commercialize the technology.”
After dedicating 13 years of his life to Liquidmetal Technologies, Peker is now Director of Advanced Materials at Washington State University.
The Mac-focused site notes (as a reminder) that Apple has recently signed an exclusive agreement with Liquidmetal Technologies for rights to use the super-durable, anti-corrosive materials, with molding properties akin to those of plastic.
“You can build casings with functional characteristics, and the alloy’s properties as an antenna can be optimized,” Peker said.
“This is a highly flexible material,” he said. “Apple could do some very creative cases.”
The antenna for the Verizon USB727 wireless modem is known to have been built from a Liquidmetal material. The device got great reviews for its reception, according to CultofMac.