Researchers have developed a way of waterproofing electronic components in cellphones that means they can be submerged in water for days without sustaining damage, writes Business Times, attributing the news to London's Daily Telegraph.
Apparently, the technique coats components with a protective layer that is only a few atoms thick and resistant to both air and water.
The Sunday broadsheet says researchers claim devices treated with this technique can be left immersed in salt water for months without being affected - conditions that would normally destroy electronics.
Professor Samuel Graham at the Georgia Institute of Technology, who led the research, is quoted as saying it is possible to extend the lifetime and reliability of electronic devices by creating such barriers.
Devices like cellphones have films that are sprayed on electronic components to protect them from water vapour and make them splash-resistant, says the newspaper. "However, these can add bulk to components."
To protect devices like cellphones and cameras from water, it says, a separate case needs to be used.
"Graham has developed a teqnique, known as atomic layer deposition, to create better barriers against water. They form a layer over the electronics that is then oxidised. This layer, which is only 10 nanometres thick - about 6 000 times thinner than the width of a human hair - prevents water from getting to the sensitive electronics underneath."
Japanese company Sony claims its Xperia Z smartphone can withstand being submerged in up to one metre of water for 30 minutes.
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