Investing in Graphene has been one of the hottest topics on both financial and scientific forums in the last few years. It is considered as a ‘wonder material,’ and a potential alternative for silicon in the production of computer chips. Where Silicon Valley previously reigned best anticipate to see a Graphene Valley in the next thirty years’ time.

Graphene happens to be the material du jour, and the subject of more research every year than any other material. It is renowned for the sheer quantity of its superlative traits, for its conductance, strength, and its photovoltaic characteristics and for the fact that it is a nanoscale allotrope of carbon. But, what actually is graphene?

Graphene is basically a 2D allotrope of carbon. It exists in one place, and is formed from a sheet of carbon atoms that are arranged in a honeycomb manner. It is actually a substance derived from graphite, an exclusive layer in the lead pencil, but because of its nanoscale nature it inherits a unique set of quantum behaviors that however graphite does not possess.

It can be easily produced by wither the top down exfoliation of the graphite, or it could be done through a bottom up process of chemical vapour deposition; each of these techniques result in a relatively different form of material in the end. With the latest advancements being made in this regard, it has been noticed that the substances being made from the respiration of the bacterial on a particularly treated surface of graphene oxide, and by and by using dry-ice as a starting point. Learn more about Graphene series here.

The sheer variety of such productive techniques make investing in graphene production a complex investment proposition, as no one really knows which technique will become successful in the end. It is an issue that increases the risk of investment but which could also potentially leads to the greatest profit potentials. Investing in early phase technology invariably produces this issue and so it is not a very unusual dilemma to face.

On the other hand, side stepping the production issue for some time, one probably aspect of investment that can be expected here is the use of graphene in the production of consumer items. Graphene’s exclusive traits make it likely that it will be used to generate highly efficient solar panels, computer chips and sturdy composite materials in the near future.