Method for Protecting an Electrical or Electronic Device

1 . An electrical or electronic device that is protected from liquid penetration through its external surface by a plasma-derived, polymeric, gas-permeable, liquid-repellent nano-coating, wherein but-for the plasma-derived polymeric liquid-repellent nano-coating, liquid can penetrate the device at least one of through the external surface of the device or, where the external surface of the device is not in a water-tight relationship with an adjacent surface, by flowing between the device external surface and the adjacent surface,

wherein the protected device comprises the device and the plasma-derived, gas-permeable, polymeric, liquid-repellent nano-coating covering at least any liquid permeable portions of the external surface of the device, and

wherein at least one of intended performance or operation of the device is not adversely affected, and

wherein the nano-coating is, formed by exposing at least all liquid permeable portions of the external surface of the device to a continuous plasma prior to exposing the surface to a polymerizable monomer, then exposing the surface to a pulsed plasma and a polymerizable monomer to form a protective polymeric coating on the surface of the device, and

wherein the continuous plasma ensures that the monomer is attached to the surface, and

wherein the polymeric coating comprises the polymerizable monomer of formula (I)

where R 1 , R 2 and R 3 independently are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, haloalkyl or aryl optionally substituted by halo; and R 4 is a group XR 5 where R 5 is a fluoroalkyl group and X is a bond; or X is a group of formula C(O)O(CH 2 ) n Y where n is an integer of 1 to 10 and Y is a bond or a sulphonamide group; or X is a group (O) p R 6 (O) q (CH 2 ) t where R 6 is aryl optionally substituted by halo, p is 0 or 1, q is 0 or 1 and t is 0 or an integer of 1 to 10, provided that where q is 1, t is other than 0.

2 . The electrical or electronic device of claim 1 , which is a sound or audio device.

3 . The electrical or electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the sound or audio device is selected from a ringer, a buzzer, a hearing aid, personal audio equipment, a television, a DVD player, a video recorder, a set-top box and a computer.

4 . The electrical or electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the sound or audio device is selected from a microphone or a loudspeaker comprising at least one of an outer casing or a foam cover and the polymeric coating is present thereon.

5 . The electrical or electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electrical or electronic device is exposed to the pulsed plasma within a plasma deposition chamber.

6 . The electrical or electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the monomer of formula (I) is a monomer of formula (II)

CH 2 ═CH—R 5   (II)

where R 5 is a fluoroalkyl group.

7 . The electrical or electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the monomer of formula (I) is a monomer of formula (III)

CH 2 ═CR 7 C(O)O(CH 2 ) n R 5   (III)

wherein n is an integer of 1 to 10 and R 5 is a fluoroalkyl group and R 7 is hydrogen, C 1-10 alkyl, or C 1-10 haloalkyl.

8 . The electrical or electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the monomer of formula (III) is a monomer of formula (IV)

where R 7 is hydrogen, C 1-10 alkyl, or C 1-10 haloalkyl, and x is an integer of 1 to 9.

9 . The electrical or electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the monomer of formula (IV) is 1H, 1H,2H,2H-heptadecafluorodecylacrylate.