A new material developed by the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SimTech) will make for more environmentally friendly metal coatings for electronic devices.

The coatings will be scratch resistant and repel water, among other properties.

Made of inorganic and organic substances including aluminium oxide and silicon oxide, the material can be sprayed easily onto casings and surfaces of mobile phones, laptops and other devices. After a few days, any unused portion of the material will form a solid crystal that can be disposed of easily as it is not toxic.