If you thought that graphene was just another exotic man-made material, you’re about to get a shock to your senses.
Earlier this month, analysis of moon samples brought back by the Chinese Chang’e-5 mission in 2020 revealed naturally formed graphene bits between 4 and 7 layers in thickness.
For scientists and engineers here on Earth, it was a revelation as the carbon-based nanostructure was previously thought to be exclusively of artificial origins.
Though the research is just now beginning, it has already been speculated that this naturally formed graphene could have resulted from solar radiation, volcanic activity, meteor strikes, or even the event which started it all: An impact of celestial proportions that tore the moon and the Earth into two distinct objects more than 4.5 billion years ago.
Below is a frame from a supercomputer-generated simulation, the highest definition ever, of the ancient cataclysm.
The theory behind this formation proposes that two still semi-liquid proto-planets collided, tore each other apart and recombined into the planet/moon system we know today.
The forces involved could have stripped carbon clean from other elements, isolating it and allowing for a rare synthesis to take place.
This is not the first time that naturally-formed graphene has been observed. Last year, rocks gathered at a South African gold mine revealed natural graphene up to 3.2 billion years old.
Science Goes To Work As Graphene Transforms From Experiment To Industrial Material
As chemists and physicists study these lunar samples and attempt to piece together exactly what natural forces were able to create it, engineers in a more terrestrial setting are working to turn graphene into a main stream industrial material.
One particular team making strides in evolving the molecule-thick substance from a science project to a fundamental building block, has done so by revolutionizing its production.
For most of its history as an artificial material, one of graphene’s most unique properties has been its price.
Costing up to twice as much as gold to produce, graphene was more of a novelty than anything else through most of the previous decade.
It wasn’t until recently, that a relatively simple process, involving nothing more than the combination of natural gas, air and electricity was able to bring costs down by orders of magnitude.
The team that accomplished this essential step in production scaling did so for reasons other than mere research.
They needed the cheap graphene, because they were working on developing the world’s first lithium-free graphene-based rechargeable battery.
A Million Mile Battery That Charges In Less Than A Minute?
These batteries, like most things graphene related, promise to be a complete departure from any currently available battery technology.
Improvements such as a 2-3x increase in battery life, a 3-5x enhancement in charge capacity, and an eye-watering 70x increase in charge speed make these batteries by far the most compelling next-gen battery concept.
And it’s not just a concept anymore, either.
The company that developed this new production method is already turning out some of the first production units of these graphene-based batteries — primarily for in-house as well as 3rd party testing.
If all goes as expected, we could start to see commercialization of this technology by the end of next year.
You’ve seen the numbers, but can you imagine this performance in context with common battery-powered products?
Imagine an electric car that can be charged in less than a minute for a driving range of over 1000 miles, and a service life well exceeding 1 million miles.
That’s what we’re potentially looking at once full scale automotive battery packs can be produced — something that will probably happen within the next few years.
Will Lithium Survive This Graphene Breakthough?
I don’t think I need to tell you what this means for the lithium battery industry, but I will anyway.
It’s a potential game-ender for the world’s current energy storage benchmark.
Want to know more about the company developing these batteries? You should, because that’s where the most surprising part of this whole story can be found.
This isn’t some multi-billion dollar Chinese megacorporation looking to cement the CCP’s lockdown on the global battery industry.
Instead, it’s a small, almost unheard of Australian materials tech firm, based out of Brisbane.
The company is valued at less than $100M today, but in a few short years, that valuation could easily be at 10-20x where it is today.
Even more importantly, this single company could end China’s dominance of the sector once and for all, which, if achieved, could be the biggest blow to Chinese strategic interests since the turn of the century.
For investors, that makes today, right now, the time to get all the pertinent facts… And the fastest way to do that, can be found right here. Fortune favors the bold, Alex Koyfman His flagship service, Microcap Insider, provides market-beating insights into some of the fastest moving, highest profit-potential companies available for public trading on the U.S. and Canadian exchanges. With more than 5 years of track record to back it up, Microcap Insider is the choice for the growth-minded investor. Alex contributes his thoughts and insights regularly to Energy and Capital. To learn more about Alex, click here.
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