Scientists create clear nail polish that lets you use touchscreens with long nails
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Scientists create clear nail polish that lets you use touchscreens with long nails
Date:
March 26, 2026
Source:
American Chemical Society
Summary:
Using a smartphone with long nails can be frustrating, forcing people to awkwardly tap with their fingertips instead of their nails. Now, researchers are working on a clear nail polish that could change that by turning fingernails into touchscreen-friendly tools. By experimenting with dozens of formulas, they discovered that combining common compounds like taurine and ethanolamine can help nails carry just enough electrical charge for screens to detect a touch.
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A new clear nail polish could let people use their fingernails on touchscreens by helping them carry a tiny electrical charge. Credit: Shutterstock
Anyone who has tried to use a smartphone or tablet with long nails knows it takes some adjustment. Instead of tapping naturally with your fingertips, you often have to angle your fingers awkwardly just to make contact with the screen. What if you could simply use your nails instead? Researchers are now working on a clear nail polish that could make that possible by turning long fingernails into touchscreen-compatible styluses.
A team from Centenary College of Louisiana plans to present its findings at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Spring 2026 features nearly 11,000 presentations across a wide range of scientific fields.
How the Idea Came to Life
The project began when Manasi Desai, an undergraduate student interested in cosmetic chemistry, approached her research advisor Joshua Lawrence in search of a project. Lawrence, an organometallic chemist, says "chemists are here to solve problems and to try to make your world better." They started looking for an everyday issue that chemistry might help address.
They soon noticed how difficult it can be for people with long nails to use smartphones, including a phlebotomist they encountered during a bloodwork appointment. When they asked whether a solution would be helpful, the response was enthusiastic: "yes, please!" That moment inspired Desai's research direction.
Why Touchscreens Do Not Work With Nails
Most modern devices rely on capacitive touchscreens. These screens generate a small electric field across their surface. When a conductive material, such as a fingertip or even a drop of water, interacts with that field, it changes the screen's capacitance. The device detects that change and interprets it as a touch.
However, nonconductive materials like fingernails or pencil erasers do not alter the electric field, so the screen does not respond. For nails to work, they must be able to carry a small electrical charge.
Moving Away From Dark and Hazardous Additives
Earlier attempts to solve this problem involved adding conductive materials such as carbon nanotubes or metallic particles to nail polish. While these approaches worked, they raised safety concerns because the materials can be dangerous if inhaled during manufacturing. They also produced dark or metallic finishes, limiting the range of cosmetic options.
Desai and Lawrence aimed to create a polish that remains clear while also being safe for both users and manufacturers.
Testing Ingredients for Clear Conductive Polish
To find a formula that balanced clarity and conductivity, Desai tested many combinations through trial and error. She experimented with 13 commercially available clear coats and more than 50 additives. Over time, she identified two promising ingredients: forms of taurine, an organic compound commonly sold as a dietary supplement, and ethanolamine, another simple organic molecule.
Ethanolamine provided the desired conductivity and worked well within the polish, but it has some toxicity concerns. Modified taurine is nontoxic but creates a slightly cloudy appearance. When used together, these ingredients produced a formula that allowed a smartphone to register a fingernail touch, marking an important early success.
"Our final, clear polish could be put over any manicure or even bare nails, which could help people with calluses on their fingertips, too. So, it has both a cosmetic and lifestyle benefit," explains Desai.
A Different Chemical Mechanism
Unlike earlier approaches that relied on inherently conductive materials, the researchers believe their formula works through acid-base chemistry. This idea came from the strong performance of ethanolamine-based mixtures, which can release protons that help move electrical charge.
They propose that when the polish interacts with a touchscreen's electric field, these protons move between molecules. This creates a small change in capacitance, just enough for the device to detect a touch.
Promising Results With More Work Ahead
Although the results so far are encouraging, the polish is not ready for commercial use. Even the best-performing et