A TV As Thin As Saran Wrap is Just the Beginning For these New Materials

Call it the "Graphene Factor"...

Discovered in 2004, this radical new material made from a single carbon atom has turned the world on its ear.

Since then, experts around the globe have heralded graphene as the hot new commodity that could change everything from satellites to semiconductors.

As it turns out, graphene is only a part of a much bigger story about a new generation of smart materials.

In fact, I've discovered five new materials besides graphene that will change the world, making early investors a fortune along the way.

But don't think for a minute that I've backed away from my belief in graphene since I wrote about this "Miracle Material" last December in this article.

Since then, my confidence in graphene's impact has only grown. Its uses seem almost endless.

With graphene we'll have flat-screen TVs as thin as Saran Wrap, nanotech devices that put the power of a mainframe computer in the palm of your hand and brain implants that combat Alzheimer's.

It's the perfect substance for what I call the Era of Radical Change. We have entered a period like none other in history. What was once science fiction is becoming science fact.

But graphene won't be the only new material pushing the limits of high tech...

See, scientists around the world are in their labs right now working on new materials that could affect everything from drugs to smart phones to space travel. And they're making huge strides.

As a result, science is set to hand us a whole new group of smart materials that will have a wide impact on the future of the whole planet.

Here are five of them...

New Material Number 1: How "Magic Moly" Makes Walls Glow

Of all the promising new materials out there, this one comes closest to matching graphene's uses in electronics.

Like graphene, this new substance works in 2D, meaning it has height and width but virtually no depth. It's a lubricant officially known as molybdenum disulfide. But I just called it "magic moly."

Here's why. A team at MIT says magic moly will work in a wide array of electronics. This, team members say, addresses a big concern that still limits graphene's use.

You see, experts still haven't found a way to make graphene work in chips and logic switches used in computers. Not so with magic moly.

Team members say the new substance could help usher in radically new products. These include whole walls that glow to clothing with embedded electronics to glasses with built-in display screens.

Not that the MIT team is knocking graphene. Far from it. Magic moly and graphene will play vital roles in the cutting-edge devices of the near future.

Both are "opening up the door to a completely new domain of electronic materials and devices," says team leader Tomás Palacios. "It's the most exciting time for electronics in the last 20 or 30 years."

New Material Number 2: The Aerojel That's "Solid Smoke"

A flexible new aerogel now ranks as the world's lightest solid material. No wonder they call it "solid smoke."

Think of an aerogel as dried Jello. It's a highly porous solid formed by replacing the particles in a gel with a gas. That's why it's so lightweight.

Chemists at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab created this new aerogel and say it could become the best material to insulate buildings and clothing known to man.

This aerogel is 5-10 times more efficient than current insulation, the team says. Just a quarter-inch-thick sheet provides as much insulation as 3 inches of fiberglass.

And there's no shortage of uses. Besides buildings, the gel could wrap around pipes, water heater tanks and other devices. Not to mention ultra-thin thermal sleeping bags and clothing.

Even NASA wants in on the action. The agency hopes to use the aerogel as a liner for space suits and as a heat shield for spacecraft re-entry systems. Space pods need a heat shield that keeps them from burning up when they re-enter Earth's atmosphere.

New Materials Numbers 3 and 4: Just One Grain of This Stuff Could Cover a Desktop

A team at Northwestern University recently broke a world record by coming up with new material that contains the largest known surface area on Earth. This is a major advance because it adds a huge amount of storage density that could affect a number of fields.

Look at it this way. With these two new compounds, engineers can now pack a huge amount of chemicals into a substance the size of a grain of sand. Once unfolded, just a spoonful of this stuff would fill an area that's 50% bigger than a football field.

Simply named NU-109 and NU-110, these highly dense materials could have a wide range of uses, team members said. They could greatly help with drug delivery since more medicine would fit into each pill or capsule.

And that's not all. They could be used for storage systems for cars and trucks running on natural gas or hydrogen. They also could improve chemical sensors and catalysts widely used in industry, driving down costs and boosting profits.

New Material Number 5: A Revolutionary Form of Silicon

Experts say a new material called "silicene" could give graphene a big run for its money. For the first time ever, scientists have turned a piece of silicon into a whole sheet of material that's just one atom thick.

In a recent report, the journal New Scientist noted that silicene compares well with graphene's electrical properties. But it may have one big plus -- silicene should work well with a wide range of devices that now use silicon, such as the chips found in PCs and smart phones.

A team at Marseille University in France created silicene by condensing silicon vapor onto a silver plate to form a single layer of atoms. But they still have a challenge to tackle.

The next stage entails growing silicene on insulating substrates. The team needs to do that so they can get a complete picture of its electrical aspects. Researchers hope to harness silicene for a new generation of high-tech devices.

So once again, we see American teams are at the forefront of key advances that will have a huge impact on the world around us.

Like I keep saying, we have so many bright minds working on tough problems we can't help but succeed in the long run.

And breakthrough new materials will play a big part of what promises to be a very exciting future.

Related Articles and News:

[epom]

About the Author

Michael A. Robinson is a 36-year Silicon Valley veteran and one of the top tech and biotech financial analysts working today. That's because, as a consultant, senior adviser, and board member for Silicon Valley venture capital firms, Michael enjoys privileged access to pioneering CEOs, scientists, and high-profile players. And he brings this entire world of Silicon Valley "insiders" right to you...

  • He was one of five people involved in early meetings for the $160 billion "cloud" computing phenomenon.
  • He was there as Lee Iacocca and Roger Smith, the CEOs of Chrysler and GM, led the robotics revolution that saved the U.S. automotive industry.
  • As cyber-security was becoming a focus of national security, Michael was with Dave DeWalt, the CEO of McAfee, right before Intel acquired his company for $7.8 billion.

This all means the entire world is constantly seeking Michael's insight.

In addition to being a regular guest and panelist on CNBC and Fox Business, he is also a Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer and reporter. His first book Overdrawn: The Bailout of American Savings warned people about the coming financial collapse - years before the word "bailout" became a household word.

Silicon Valley defense publications vie for his analysis. He's worked for Defense Media Network and Signal Magazine, as well as The New York Times, American Enterprise, and The Wall Street Journal.

And even with decades of experience, Michael believes there has never been a moment in time quite like this.

Right now, medical breakthroughs that once took years to develop are moving at a record speed. And that means we are going to see highly lucrative biotech investment opportunities come in fast and furious.

To help you navigate the historic opportunity in biotech, Michael launched the Bio-Tech Profit Alliance.

His other publications include: Strategic Tech Investor, The Nova-X Report, Bio-Technology Profit Alliance and Nexus-9 Network.

Read full bio