What if you could carry your money around encased and protected in steel? A steel wallet would keep your money safe, but it would be incredibly heavy to tote everywhere. Enter carbon fiber – the sleek new way to keep your money, credit cards, ID, and other valuables safe.
What is carbon fiber? As Wikipedia explains, it’s carbon atoms that are bonded together to create a ridiculously high strength-to-volume ratio. It’s strong, stiff, lightweight, and is resistant to chemicals and high temperatures. Carbon fiber technology is hardly new, though. It was first used in 1860 by Joseph Swan, a scientist who used them in light bulbs.
In the years since, the many uses of carbon fiber have grown increasingly impressive and high-tech. According to Energy.gov, it’s frequently used in high-performance vehicles such as aircrafts and race cars. Carbon fiber also helps make sporting equipment that’s extremely durable. Scientists are hoping that in the future, it could help reduce the weight of passenger cars and improve fuel efficiency.
The process involved in manufacturing carbon fiber is extremely complex. The material must be stretched before it is oxidized in order to raise the melting temperature. Next, it’s carbonized in a high-temperature furnace. During this part of the process, nearly half of the material is vaporized. What’s left is almost 100% carbon. This WikiHow article illustrates several different methods of carbon fiber manufacturing, including the high-temperature factory method that yields the best results.
Because it’s such an impressive material, it’s easy to see why carbon fiber wallets have become a must-have. They not only look high-tech, their carbon fiber technology makes them last a lifetime. If Superman carried a wallet, it would no doubt be made of carbon fiber. It’s a fashion statement that’s luxurious and sophisticated, as well as modern. (Ferrari and Lamborghini think so, too, as they use carbon fiber in their automobiles.)
For more understated elegance, many fashion-forward individuals are opting for carbon fiber money clips. These often combine beautiful carbon fiber with metals like steel and aluminum to create an accessory that’s as strong and attractive as it is functional. Owners of carbon fiber money clips can rest assured that the device won’t bend, rust, or scuff up the way other materials will.
With carbon fiber appearing in everything from sports cars and wind turbine blades to fashion accessories, what does the future hold for this virtually indestructible material? Only time will tell!
