Research reveals reluctance to buy expensive mobile phones for fear of accidental damage

New research commissioned by P2i shows that 43 per cent of people in the US would be put off buying an expensive mobile phone for fear of accidentally damaging it.

The research of 1065 adults, conducted by TNS, also reveals that four in ten people had already damaged their mobile phone by either dropping it in water or spilling liquid on it, while damage caused by scratching and staining was reported by a third of respondents. Bizarrely, 45 people also claimed damage to their mobile phones caused by a pet.

Dr Stephen Coulson, CTO at P2i said, “As consumer electronic devices become smaller, lighter and sleeker, there’s less space for traditional engineered solutions that deter liquids. As a result, mobile phones and other gadgets are a significant new market for nano-coating technologies.

P2i has been out and about promoting Aridion. The substance is applied using a special pulsed ionised gas (plasma), which is created within a vacuum chamber, to attach a nanoscopic polymer layer – one thousand times thinner than a human hair – to the electronic device. This lowers the product's surface energy, so that when liquid comes into contact with it, they form beads and simply roll off.