Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

One more crisis caused by technology

For years, experts have been talking about a crisis: the crisis of materials for the manufacture of touch screens. Another crisis caused by today’s technology, such as the chipping or other materials for the operation of renewable energy technologies.

In the case of touch screens, it is the problem of a very scarce metal on our planet: indium. For conventional touch screens, indium oxide is required and there are very few sources. Most of them in China, Canada and Germany. The fact is that it is a scarce by-product of the extraction of other metals. That is, to extract a good amount, you have to reduce a lot of tons of minerals. And more and more touch screens are being used.

It's a curious thing. Instead of indium, it is believed that a modern and abundant material could be used: graphene. It is an excellent conductor of electricity, it is transparent, it dissipates heat very well and has great characteristics. In addition, it is believed that a large amount of graphene can be extracted from small amounts of carbon, at least in theory. It’s not as scarce as indium and you don’t have to reduce a lot of coal to get graphene.

A few years ago we were excited about graphene and we praised it a lot. But one thing was missing. Graphene technology had to be developed, and a couple of decades after that excitement, we're still not using graphene very much. My feeling is that in a few years, graphene will begin to appear in our day to day... but it is only a feeling. In any case, one day the industry will have to start exploiting this type of materials. It's not easy. But it's necessary.