About This Project

This project explores the feasibility of using shear thickening materials as a reworkable encapsulant for marine electronics. Traditional methods for waterproofing electronics are often bulky, messy, or irreversible. Shear thickening materials distribute pressure like a liquid but can be removed easily like a solid. The purpose of this study is to understand and share the capabilities and limitations of protecting marine electronics this way.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

More than 95% of where life can exist on planet earth has never been seen by human eyes [1]. The vast majority of our unexplored planet is underwater, and the main reason we know so little about these places is because they are so hard to access. Water - especially seawater - will short-out and corrode electronics if they become exposed to it. The conventional method for bringing electronics into the deep is to enclose them in sealed pressure-proof containers filled with air or to put them in weaker containers filled with hard-curing adhesives like epoxy or filled with ambient-pressure non-conductive oil. All of these methods have limitations that make them impractical for regular people with regular means to develop with.

What is the significance of this project?

Using shear thickening materials (a type of Non-Newtonian fluid, also known as Dilatant) to encapsulate ("pot") electronics to protect them from water could create the means to quickly, cheaply, easily, and reversibly develop and deploy underwater electronic designs which would help democratize underwater exploration. Devices built this way would be easier to implement than traditional methods since no special tooling, equipment, or expertise is needed, and much more rapid iteration on research and development would be possible which could help advance underwater technology much faster. Students and hobbyists could 3D print housings for experimental designs and make modifications to or scrap parts between electronics over time, and professional developers and integrators could produce reliable systems that would still have the ability for rework, repairs, or upgrades.

What are the goals of the project?

The research conducted in this project would seek not only to demonstrate theory, but also give empirical examples of Non-Newtonian fluids working to water-proof electronics in real-world conditions so such methodologies could be repeated by others. The performance, attributes and limitations of using Non-Newtonian fluids for potting will be examined and reported, and the methodologies and best practices discovered to assure success will be documented. As an end result, information will be presented so that anyone can repeat the methodology with high levels of success.