From cobalt to tungsten: how electric cars and smartphones are sparking a new kind of gold rush
Wednesday, August 1, 2018 - 09:00
in Physics & Chemistry
What's in your stuff? Most of us give no thought to the materials that make modern life possible. Yet technologies such as smart phones, electric vehicles, large screen TVs and green energy generation depend on a range of chemical elements that most people have never heard of. Until the late 20th century, many were regarded as mere curiosities – but now they are essential. In fact, a mobile phone contains over a third of the elements in the periodic table.