What is WaterBlock™?

Overview

Like a transparent shield, HzO’s proprietary WaterBlock™ nanotechnology is a coating of bonded molecules that seals the internal components of electronic devices. This chemical vapor deposition process blankets vital electronic circuitry to protect even the most sensitive devices from damage by water, moisture, contaminating particles and humidity.

WaterBlock™ protects not only from drips and splashes, but also is capable of protecting from submersion as well, allowing consumers and industries to use electronic devices wherever they take them.
Some of the benefits of WaterBlock™ include:

• Pinhole free, conformal coating
• Hydrophobic properties
• Highly corrosion resistant
• Bio-stable and bio-compatible
• Capable of adhering to various materials
• including metals, plastics, rubbers and more
• Effective barrier against moisture, acids and more
• Completely homogenous surface
• Low coefficient of friction
• Water protection performance equivalent of IPX7
• MIL spec STD-810 for salt and humidity resistivity
• Tested thermally stable from -50°C to 120°C
• Thermal conductivity 0.084 (W/(m·K))

It is common knowledge that water and electronics don’t mix. HzO is helping to change that old fashioned perception. When electronics come in contact with water, the liquid causes corrosion damage, which will severely compromise the electronic components. This corrosion buildup—a crusty, green substance—prevents vital circuits from connecting, and kills a device in a matter of hours.

Scientists at HzO have revolutionized water protection to shield against damaging corrosion and electrical shorting. WaterBlock™ is designed to prevent water from infiltrating the coating to the underlying electrical substrate, thus allowing the electrical apparatus to survive under water. It is applied in a vapor deposition process where the vapor permeates every exposed surface, and even penetrates the tiniest nooks and crannies. WaterBlock™ provides a dense coating with consistent, smooth, molecule-to-molecule bonding for a compact surface coverage with maximum protection.

Properties and Testing

General Industry Testing

HzO’s engineers extensively tested the WaterBlock™ formula to ensure it is at the vanguard of liquid protection for manufacturers, both small and large. The following industry-approved tests sample the arduous standards imposed on WaterBlock™. The results speak for themselves.

• Chemical Composition: HzO Proprietary Blend (Trade-Secret)

  HzO’s WaterBlock™ chemical composition is expressly the sole ownership and claimed intellectual property of HzO, Inc. (USA)

• Corrosion Resistance

  In tests, devices have been exposed to greater than 10 hours of submersion in salt water (ocean equivalent saline concentration) to measure corrosion on both coated and uncoated materials. Results were favorable.

• Humidity Resistivity: MIL spec STD-810

  WaterBlock™ was favorably tested for 48 hours at 60°C with 95% relative humidity. (MIL spec testing performed by third party laboratory)

• Salt Restively: MIL spec STD-810

  WaterBlock™ was tested with a positive outcome for 24 hours in 95% relative humidity and a 5% concentration salt-fog atmosphere at ambient temperature of 35°C. (MIL spec testing performed by third party laboratory)

• Thermal Conductivity: 0.084 (W/(m·K))

  Testing measured the rate of heat transfer within the WaterBlock™ protective coating. (Calculation derived from testing performed by other companies testing similar thin-film coatings with comparable base compounds.) Results were positive.

• Thermal Stability: Tested stable from -50°C to 120°C

  WaterBlock™ was tested to be stable from -50°C to 120°C with ambient temperature and pressure, although more extreme temperatures could have been reached. When testing to -50°C, mechanical testing was performed after the material was placed in liquid nitrogen.

• Toxicity: Non-Toxicity Certificate of Compliance

  The FDA tested and approved all chemical compounds that are incorporated into WaterBlock™ as “non-hazardous,” certifying each as being both non-toxic and bio-compatible for use in medical devices, such as implants inside the human body.

• Vapor Transmission Rate: ASTM E96; 0.25 g.mil for water vapor/0.31 g.mil for water

  To determine the amount of water vapor that may pass through WaterBlock™ our scientists used a specialized container that followed ASTM E96 procedures.

• Vibration: MIL spec STD-833 method 2007.3 condition A

  Printed circuit boards treated with WaterBlock™ tested positively through a regimen with an eight sine sweep, resulting in no apparent damage to the coating or resulting damage to coated circuit boards. (MIL spec testing performed by third party laboratory)

Water Protection: Performance Equivalent of IPX7

WaterBlock™ most often performs to the equivalent of IPX7 standards depending upon the device type and configuration to which it is applied. WaterBlock™ is capable of protecting the full functionality of an electrical device at the standard depth of 1 meter for at least 30 minutes.

Although WaterBlock™ protected devices technically fail the IPX7 test by letting water enter the device, the coating passes the industry qualification when considering that WaterBlock™’s protective case is on the inside of the device.

WaterBlock™ protects against water ingress where it matters most – the sensitive electronics inside of the device. This novel approach to water protection lessens bulk while reducing the risk of an electronic failure. This technological advance ushers in a new standard of water protection that previous standards have yet to realize.

Intellectual Property

The technology and business development teams at HzO continue to put a high priority on developing and protecting intellectual property. For this reason, HzO has filed a series of patents around the process, system, and material. These patents encompass specific device applications of WaterBlock™ coating as well as protection involving additional water protection methods. Process patents are specific to HzO’s strategic market: mass production of electronic devices. Some techniques may be retained as trade secrets, however, due to HzO’s business model, most will result in a patent filing. HzO is protecting its intellectual property both in its domestic market as well as the international marketplace.  Patents have been filed through the international PCT process as well as in specific, strategic countries, including: China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Due to the importance of protecting HzO’s intellectual property, HzO has employed local firms in strategic countries to aggressively protect the filings. In addition to these patent filings, HzO is the owner of three previously acquired patents.