People really cherish mobile devices nowadays, which is why it’s always so aggravating when a person drops theirs. And given the expense of a new phone, I’ve seen people carry on with a chipped or broken screen.

There are many smartphone cases available to add a little more protection to your handheld. Turns out, these cases can be a lot more protective with the help of a certain polymer.

The British company, Tech21, builds cases using the polymer D30, the same polymer used in other protective equipment such as ski and motorcycle gear.

Also known generically as “rate-dependent materials,” these materials work by having their molecules freeze in place when struck hard, but are flexible when moved gently. Water can be talked about in a similar way. If you lower yourself into a bath, there is little resistance.

But if you were to fall off a diving board, there would much more likely be a thud, followed by a stinging sensation.

Since departing from T-Mobile back in May, the company has already built cases for Apple, HTC (News - Alert), Samsung and RIM smartphones, as well as some tablets and e-readers. Protective strips of D30 are built into the cases in areas where the phone is most likely to take a hit. Though these strips tend to be on the outer edges of the case, Tech21 (News - Alert) plans on releasing one with D30 in the back.

Of course, Tech21 isn’t the only company out there that uses D30 in their phone cases. Another company by the name of G-Form also uses similar polymers, but it has a more extreme way of promoting its products. It recently had B.A.S.E. jumpers drop an iPhone (News - Alert) encased in one of its designs from 1,000 feet to demonstrate the effectiveness of its padding.

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