- China has unveiled plans to restrict exports of graphite—a mineral crucial to the
manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs)—on national security grounds. - Graphite is an opaque, non-metallic carbon polymorph that is blackish silver in colour
and metallic to dull in sheen. - Since it resembles metal lead, it is also known colloquially as black lead or plumbago.
- It is formed by the metamorphosis of sediments containing carbonaceous material.
- It is a naturally occurring form of crystalline carbon.
- It is extremely soft, cleaves with very light pressure, and has a very low specific gravity.
- In contrast, it is extremely resistant to heat and nearly inert in contact with almost any
other material. - These extreme properties give it a wide range of uses in metallurgy and manufacturing.
