This might be the first time you hear about it, but indium is an essential element for the production of solar cells and LCD screens and it is estimated to be completely depleted within ten years.
Indium is the only transparent metal we know of, and so it is indispensible for any light emitting or absorbing circuits such as solar cells and LCD screens.
Finally, researchers at the Planck Institute managed to create a new material which is more conductive than and nearly as transparent as Indium. The new material is made of graphite which is one of the most abundant materials on earth.
The new material is 80% transparent to visible light, but the research team believes that by refining the production process, they can achieve more than 90% transparency. The material is already 100% transparent to infrared light, thus promising to surpass current indium-based solar cells.
All pictures alongside this article are of indium ingots.
