How to nanocoat your smartphone

It’s happened to the best of us: a misplaced elbow sends a cup of coffee all over the table, drowning your expensive new phone in a sea of caffeine.

Or maybe you’re like me, constantly forgetting my phone in my lap, only to send it crashing into a puddle when I exist the car. (OK, I’ve been lucky, and it’s never ended up in a puddle, but it’s only a matter of time).

Even though cases can protect our delicate smartphones from bumps and crashes, few can protect it from the most dangerous accident of all–liquid spills. If only there was some way to enact a force field around our gadgets, protecting them from any dirt or water that may do them in… Well, it may not be a force field, but Liquipel’s revolutionary nanocoating will certainly do the trick.

It may seem counter-intuitive to dip your electronics into a liquid in order to protect it from moisture damage, but if you’re brave enough to try, it could be the best thing that ever happened to your expensive gadgets.

Liquipel is a super-hydrophobic nano-coating which bonds to all internal and external components of a device on the molecular level. According to the California-based company, this technology was specially engineered to protect the vital components of electronics from accidental liquid damage and corrosion.

Initially, I wondered if the coating would feel thick or waxy in any way on the surface of a device, but its creators claim that Liquipel is 1,000 times thinner than a human hair and does not affect the look, feel, or performance of your electronic device in any way.

Now before you get too excited, Liquipel is only meant to protect against incidental moisture exposure. That means you can’t take it swimming or in the shower with you. Still, this is the first protective covering we’ve seen that’s able to get inside all the little nooks and crannies of a device, protecting even USB ports and headphone jacks from fatal moisture.

Want a nanocoating for your most prized mobile device? You’ll have to mail it directly to the Edison Award-nominated company so they can dip it for you. More info here.

* Beth Buczynski, EarthTechling