Sponsored Articles The World Might Run Out Of A Crucial Ingredient Of Touch Screens. But Don’t Worry, We’ve Invented An Alternative Share Published 8 hours ago: July 21, 2021 at 12:00 pm Have you ever imagined your smart phone or tablet without a touch screen? This could soon be the case if we run out of indium, one of the rarest minerals on Earth. Indium is used in many high-tech devices such as touch screens, smart phones, solar panels and smart windows, in the form of indium tin oxide. This compound is optically transparent and electrically conductive — the two crucial features required for touch screens to work.