Earlier this week, we shared a video that explained the incredible potential of graphene, a transparent material that is just a single atom thick. According to the video, graphene is “stronger than diamond, more conductive than copper, more flexible than rubber and it’s so thin you can barely see it with the naked eye.” We also noted that Samsung developed a manufacturing process last month for graphene that could speed up its use in actual commercial products. Graphene could be key to the future of flexible displays, wearable devices, and even batteries. Bloomberg says graphene could lead to phones that stay “charged for a week and recharges in 15 minutes.”
Bloomberg is also reporting that the major tech companies are stocking up on patents related to graphene. Samsung, which just lost a court battle to Apple and now owes it over $100 million, appears to have the most graphene-related patents, with 405 total and 38 in the U.S. Apple has at least two. IBM and Foxconn also have graphene-related patents.
Hong Byung Hee, a professor at Seoul National University who has a patent for mass producing displays with graphene, told Bloomberg he has heard from many of the big players in tech.
“Global technology companies are facing innovation limits in hardware and design, and in order to step over to the next level, they need to adopt new materials like graphene,” Hong told Bloomberg. “Our key graphene technology is receiving considerable interest from firms including Apple, Samsung and even Google.”