Let's start with the two breakthroughs ...

The first - a recent discovery at the University of California at Los Angeles -- is a double win for the new material ... and for the entire electronics sector. You see, a research team there devised tiny devices that can charge and discharge power up to 1,000 times faster than standard batteries.

Because of the proliferation of batteries in portable electronics, this breakthrough could have a huge impact: It could affect everything from smartphones to cardiology pacemakers.

The technical term for this new gadget is "micro super-capacitor."  And the name says it all: The devices are small, but extremely powerful.

Capacitors have been in widespread use in electronic devices for a long time - and, in fact, have been integral to the electronics revolution. Their job is to store and release current in very controlled amounts. Without this circuit-board traffic cop, your gear would break down on a regular basis ... or simply crash.

But the electrical engineers who design all this stuff haven't been able to make the devices any smaller on a cost-effective basis because they can't figure out how to further shrink the capacitors that have to go inside them.

But that may be about to change - thanks to graphene and an innovative new production process.

The UCLA research team used a consumer-grade DVD burner to produce these super-small super-capacitors from graphene at a fraction of the cost of standard techniques.

Team members simply glued a layer of plastic onto the surface of a DVD. Then they coated it with a layer of a substance known as graphite oxide that is used to synthesize graphene.

The new devices offer another big advantage: They're easy to bend and twist. Ultimately, that means they could work for energy storage in flexible electronics like roll-up TV screens and e-readers. 

Even "wearable" electronic devices become possible.

In the second breakthrough, a British research team says it's found a way to overcome one of the key obstacles that right now limit graphene's use in electronics.

I'm talking about defects.

With current methods, small flakes of graphene form in random ways. That process leaves defects, or "seams," between flakes when they join together.

The seams prevent electrons from flowing freely in graphene, which so far has limited its use in electronics.

But a team at Oxford University devised a way to align the graphene's carbon atoms using a cheap piece of copper foil. Team members said the copper surface's atomic structure acts as a "guide" that controls how the carbon atoms grow on top.

"Our discovery shows that it is possible to produce large sheets of graphene where these flakes, called "domains,' are well-aligned," said team leader Nicole Grobert. This, she said "will create a neater, stronger, and more "electron-friendly' material."

What this means is that, in theory, the only thing now limiting the size of the graphene sheet that engineers will be able to create will be the size of the copper sheet itself.

This advance is "an important step towards finding a way of manufacturing graphene in a controlled fashion at an industrial scale," Grobert said. And this "is essential if we are to bridge the gap between fundamental research and building useful graphene-based technologies."

Once you factor in these new developments, there's only one conclusion you can reach: Graphene is more likely than ever to become a commercially viable material that will help transform the world around us in profound ways.

And that means that we have an opportunity to invest in a product that's going to become a ubiquitous part of our lives.

Naysayers will counter by stating that there's currently no "pure-play" investment in graphene.

That's true ... but it doesn't mean there aren't any early-stage profit opportunities.

Among graphite plays, there are two true "penny stocks" that are extremely intriguing. Like all penny stocks, they're extremely risky.

But unlike most other penny-stock ventures, these two companies appear to be very well run. If they continue along their present course, I think they'll one day produce graphene.

Here in North America, the firm to watch is Northern Graphite Corp. (OTC: NGPHF/TSX.V: NGC).

In Europe, I like Flinders Resources Ltd. (TSX.V: FDR/ OTC: FLNXF). Flinders was founded by two of the world's top rare-earths experts. So, they have both mining and materials down cold.

Another company to consider is GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE: GTI). This is a hybrid firm in that it produces both natural and man-made graphite. Its roots go back 125 years when it helped Cleveland, Ohio, become the world's first city with electric street lamps.

And this is just the start. New profit opportunities - including pure-play stocks and even ETFs - will emerge as scientists push graphene into the mainstream.

This experience is bound to be enriching ... as well as exciting.

Think of yourself as a high-tech "wildcatter." But instead of oil, we're prospecting for profit plays in this exotic new material ... graphene.

Like any wildcatter, you need to manage your capital and control your risk as much as possible ... so you always have enough for the next profit play.

And you have to be vigilant, watching your current holdings carefully even as you keep scanning the horizon for new opportunities.

Here at the Era of Radical Change, we'll help you do both.

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