Why does water damage our phones while alcohol does not?

 

Some may think that "water has no enemy" but in fact; Water is the biggest enemy of electronics of all kinds. Let's fantasize! What if a cup of water spilled on your phone, your phone fell into a swamp of water, or even you just got a few drops of water on your phone components? Electronics manufacturers warn us of the impact of these water droplets and liquids on our electronic devices, but in return, they advise us to clean them with alcohol! What is this contradiction?

 

In fact, water conducts electricity better than alcohol and thus creates short circuits (which pass current without any resistance). Water also corrodes metal and small electronic components, while alcohol does not. The answer is explained by differences in the chemical and physical properties of water and alcohol. By the way, no electronic gadgets are safe, even if they are labeled "water resistant". This is because IP water resistance ratings only keep instruments safe in the water for a specific amount of time and depth. Anything beyond the threshold duration and depth will harm your device!

 

Effect of water on electronics

 

Because water contains dissolved metal ions, it is an incredibly good conductor of electricity. Once a powered device comes into contact with water, multiple terminals inside the device come into contact with the same conductor, which is water. Thus an alternate path for current flow is formed and electricity begins to flow in directions where it should not flow; This is called a short circuit. During the short circuit that is formed, an enormous amount of current flow occurs within a short period of time, which leads to excessive heating, damage to the devices, and in the worst case, fire!

 

Since most devices use DC batteries as the power source, contact with water with the battery electrodes will lead to electrolysis with the rise of flammable hydrogen and oxygen gases. On the other hand, why does water cause corrosion of small electronic components?! Water also contains molecules of dissolved oxygen (O2). All electronic devices contain PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards), which contain metals such as copper, gold, and palladium as conductors.

 

Thus, when exposed to water, a redox reaction occurs in which the metal loses electrons and forms a layer of metal oxide. Over time, this results in a decrease in the size of the conductive metal. In extreme cases, the metal becomes structurally weak and fractures. LED/LCD displays also have a backlit panel that provides illumination. When water enters the backlight panel, improper refraction of light occurs and the resulting display becomes distorted.

 

Effect of alcohol on electronics

 

Alcohols do not contain ionic impurities dissolved in high concentrations like those in water. When alcohol comes into contact with electronics, the lack of charged species (ions and free electrons) results in no effect on conductivity. This translates to a lack of free electrons and ions to conduct electricity. Thus, pure alcohol is also an insulator.

 

There is, therefore, no short circuit since alcohol evaporates faster than water, i.e., there is no possibility of alcohol staying around long enough to cause damage to electronic components. Thus, the possibility of damage to the screen and speakers is reduced! Furthermore, since alcohol can bind to both polar and non-polar compounds, it binds to the lipid cell membranes of lipophilic bacteria and also denatures the proteins in the microbes, effectively killing them. Thus, alcohol is often used as a cleaning agent.

 

However, there are cases where alcohol damages electronic devices, especially if your device was dipped in a cup of alcohol. The flash point (the lowest temperature at which a compound has combustible vapors in the presence of an ignition source such as oxygen) of alcohol determines its flammability hazard. That is, if the temperature of the device rises above the flash point, contact with alcohol can be very unpleasant (alcohol forms vapors that can ignite). Thus, alcohol should only be used when the appliance is off and cold!

 

Generally, pure water and pure alcohol rarely damage electronics, but dissolved impurities and intermolecular bonds are the main culprits when things go wrong! Basically, because water can dissolve more impurities and evaporate more slowly than alcohol, it tends to destroy electronics more easily than alcohol.

 

In short, water poses a real danger to electronics because it creates a conductive medium between the electronic paths. These paths are very small and often very close together, so just a small drop is enough to form a dangerous short circuit. On the other hand, since (pure) alcohol does not conduct electricity, it can block these pathways without danger!