Should You Invest in Disruptive Materials?
New technologies are having a transformative impact on the transportation and energy sectors. As these technologies develop, it is becoming clear that a small selection of materials, metals, and minerals—known collectively as disruptive materials—are critical components required to innovate.
This graphic from Global X ETFs takes a closer look at the disruptive materials that are key to fueling climate technologies. With a growing global effort to decarbonize, disruptive materials may enter a demand supercycle, characterized as a structural decades-long period of rising demand and rising prices.
Building Blocks Of the Future
There are 10 categories of disruptive materials in particular that are expected to see demand growth as part of their role within emerging technologies.
| Disruptive Material | Applicability |
|---|---|
| Zinc | Protects metal surfaces from rusting through a process called galvanization. This is essential to wind energy. |
| Palladium & Platinum | Often used in catalytic converters, thus playing a major role in hydrogen fuel cell technology. |
| Nickel | A corrosion-resistant metal used to make other metals more durable. |
| Manganese | An important mineral needed for battery and steel production. |
| Lithium | The foundational component of lithium-ion batteries. |
| Graphene | The thinnest known material which is also 100x stronger than steel. Used in sensors and transistors. |
| Rare Earth Materials | A broader category including 15 lanthanide series elements, plus yttrium. These metals are found in (Read more...) |