A US-based lithium-ion battery developer is testing Talga's graphite for use in its batteries, while Germany's JenaBatteries is testing the company's graphene for flow batteries.

"We are taking our cues from industry and it is all starting to accelerate really fast," Mr Thompson said.

Confidence

"Our confidence not only comes from what we do, it also comes from the customers we talk to … they are all not just trialling graphene, some of them have got their own production works and they are just waiting for production efficiencies and they are going to roll out products over the next year or two."

Among those companies reportedly eyeing graphene are Dyson, Samsung, Apple and of course, electric vehicle manufacturers.

Henrik Fisker, the founder of former Tesla Motors rival Fisker Automotive which collapsed in 2013, said last week he planned to launch a new electric car company, called Fisker Inc, in 2017 powered by a battery that uses graphene.

Graphene has the potential to increase battery life and charging capacity – an appealing prospect for everything from smartphones to electric cars.

Deutsche Bank analysts said in March tests involving adding graphene to battery cathodes seemed "very promising and a breakthrough is widely expected".


Veteran stockpicker Warwick Grigor, executive chairman of Far East Capital, has long been a vocal supporter of graphene and was an early backer of Talga.

He has almost sold his stake in the company but is now backing smaller player First Graphite, which he chairs, and two other private companies in the space.

Bright future

While obviously believing in a bright future for graphene, Mr Grigor said there was some way to go before the commercial ­applications of the material were fully harnessed.

"There has to be further refinement of functionalisation and development of applications," he said.

"At the end of the day graphene is an industrial product. It is not just about producing it, you actually have to find markets for it.

"You have a rising tide. As industry is learning about how to apply it in one area, it is having a knock-on effect to other areas."

To date, the excitement around the lithium-ion battery supply chain has centred on lithium, which has been one of the hottest commodities so far this year, propelled by a rapid increase in prices and expectations of growing demand.

Mr Thompson said the Australian market's intense focus on lithium had been "very frustrating" for the company's international investors. Its largest shareholder is Norway's Smedvig, which has about $1.8 billion in assets under management.

"No one really understands how big electrification can be," he said.

"They think it is big now but I think it is inevitable graphene will have its day, but as to when the market gets it, it will be when companies are making money and striking high-profile deals."