Want to know why everyone is asking how to invest in graphene?
For starters: It's one of the strongest materials ever known.
It's also as light as a feather. And completely flexible.
Plus, it's not just going to change the latest inventions in the defense industry; it'll be used in everyday life.
For example, imagine charging your mobile phone or tablet in just 30 seconds.
Or pulling up your electric car to a charging station and having a full charge in under a minute.
Here's how graphene makes this future a possibility.
How this "Miracle Material" was DiscoveredCarbon-based graphene was initially discovered in the 1960s but rediscovered by two scientists, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, in 2004. They started tinkering with it in the lab and created microscopic flakes.
The real catalyst came when the two changed the flakes into extremely thin sheets. They even won the Nobel Prize for Physics for their work with graphene.
They first used scotch tape as part of the graphene manufacturing process, which was extremely impractical.
Now manufacturing entails taking graphite oxide and coating it on a sheet of plastic.
Then it's hit with a laser and oxygenates, which turns it into graphene.
It actually can be made in a DVD drive - the kind you can buy at your local electronics store.
The final product is a material that's one of the strongest and lightest known to man.
Graphene: Revolutionizing the FutureGraphene has been referred to as the 21st century's plastic thanks to its versatility.
It's also inexpensive to produce.
It may also be the heir apparent to silicon chips, according to Bloomberg News.
For years, there have been discussions that graphene could be used tocreate the world's biggest "supercapacitor"; this is an electronic component containing the charge of a battery but a recharge at the speed of a capacitor-or 100 - 1,000 times faster than batteries today.
That's why you could take a gadget that takes hours to charge the battery, but do so in seconds.
How to Invest in GrapheneThe European Commission is so intrigued by graphene's possibilities, it recently awarded a $1.35 billion, 10-year research grant to Nokia Corp. (NYSE ADR: NOK) to study its commercial applications. The company will be joined by AirBus and research groups from 17 countries.
Nokia has been working with graphene since 2006.
Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Henry Tirri said to The Register after receiving the grant, "Since then, we have come to identify multiple areas where this material can be applied in modern computing environments. We've done some very promising work so far, but I believe the greatest innovations have yet to be discovered."
The European Commission also hopes graphene will prompt economic growth.
Some analysts believe an inaugural "graphene-intensive" product could hit the marketplace within 18 months. IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM) and Samsung have also jumped on the graphene bandwagon and they're racing to finish first.
While Europe has been a leader in graphene development, you can't count out the U.S. for this ride.
Along with IBM, other companies are involved with this versatile material.
In the accompanying Money Morning video, "How to Invest in Graphene," Executive Editor William Palalon III provides some of the current opportunities for those looking to invest in this miracle material. Take a look so you can get in on the ground floor.
Related Articles and News:
- The Register:
Nokia shares $1.35bn EU graphene research grant
