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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;-jeffB, post: 4080000, member: 27832&quot;]A few years ago, I was browsing in a used bookstore, and I found a bound collection of very old Iron Man comics. In every issue, he saved the day thanks to his super-powered suit, with all its capabilities springing from the magic of... <b>transistors</b>. The transistor was the latest new world-changing toy, and <i>naturally</i> it would enable all sorts of miracles.</p><p><br /></p><p>Graphene is sort of the same way. It <i>will</i> change the world, but it won&#039;t change <i>everything</i>. In particular, even if it can be made more conductive than silver, it still likely won&#039;t be as <i>reflective</i> as silver. It certainly won&#039;t be as easy to solder or weld to other metals (although I&#039;m sure it will have its own joining/fastening/connecting technologies). It won&#039;t have the same chemical properties as silver, and probably won&#039;t have the same antimicrobial properties (although who knows what graphene-based materials might do there as well).</p><p><br /></p><p>I can see silver dropping in price, maybe a lot. But remember that the value of the <i>dollar</i>, and therefore the face value of a quarter, also drops over time. Will silver ever catch up to and pass the dollar on the way down? I kind of doubt it, at least until we reach a Star Trek-style post-scarcity economy.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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