HZO specializes in thin film coatings for electronic devices. At CES 2024, the North Carolina-based company demonstrated the effectiveness of its coating process by submerging a Raspberry Pi circuit board. It is worth noting that the circuit board after this special treatment can continue to work normally underwater, and no one was electrocuted.
HZO provides innovative coating services using paraxylene to form thin films at the "molecular level" through a vacuum deposition process. Paraxylene is thinner than other coating materials and provides even and reliable coverage of electronic devices, including bare circuit boards. The company demonstrated how paraxylene coating protection works during CES 2024, showing that hardware companies can turn Raspberry Pi 4 circuit boards into proper waterproof computer projects.
HZO explains how the paraxylene coating process via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) works. The process begins by heating a precursor material until it turns into a gas. This gas is then further heated to form reactive monomers. In a deposition chamber kept "near room temperature," these monomers will deposit on everything in the chamber.
When they are next to each other, the monomers link up to form a polymer coating, HZO said. Polymer films are typically between 2 and 25 microns thick and can be used safely on fragile electronic components because they can operate at room temperature. HZO emphasized that the paraxylene coating is "highly reliable" and does not release harmful chemical by-products during the polymerization process.
The CVD process is widely used, including automotive electronics and sensors, smart home devices, consumer electronics, biosensors, etc. The paraxylene-coated Raspberry Pi 4 shown at CES 2024 worked fine in a water tank, securely connected to a USB-C power cord and a microHDMI cable for video output, both of which were also coated with paraxylene.
Researchers have previously demonstrated waterproof Raspberry Pi systems using a widely available lubricant (CorrosionX) as a viscous body wash. This coating method is not permanent and HZO’s CVD solution offers a more durable alternative. A representative from the company mentioned that electronic devices like the Raspberry Pi need to stay in the deposition chamber for about 15 hours.
However, HZO’s paraxylene coating solution is not aimed at individual hardware enthusiasts or end users. The company works with electronics manufacturers and large businesses, including Dell and Nike, to provide coating services using its equipment or the coating machines themselves. HZO said that many different electronic devices can exist in the coating chamber at the same time, so the CVD process can be applied in large quantities.