The 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded jointly to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov "for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene."
Graphene is a sheet of carbon only one atom thick.
Source: University of Manchester
Geim & Novoselov were among the predictions to receive the Nobel as far back as 2008, so this comes as no surprise to those who track these things. In 2004, they discovered this amazing one-atom-thick material and have since studied its properties intensely. The Nobel Prize press release clearly lays out the amazing prospects of this material:
Graphene is a form of carbon. As a material it is completely new - not only the thinnest ever but also the strongest. As a conductor of electricity it performs as well as copper. As a conductor of heat it outperforms all other known materials. It is almost completely transparent, yet so dense that not even helium, the smallest gas atom, can pass through it. Carbon, the basis of all known life on earth, has surprised us once again....
... with graphene, physicists can now study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties. Graphene makes experiments possible that give new twists to the phenomena in quantum physics. Also a vast variety of practical applications now appear possible including the creation of new materials and the manufacture of innovative electronics. Graphene transistors are predicted to be substantially faster than today's silicon transistors and result in more efficient computers.
Since it is practically transparent and a good conductor, graphene is suitable for producing transparent touch screens, light panels, and maybe even solar cells.
When mixed into plastics, graphene can turn them into conductors of electricity while making them more heat resistant and mechanically robust. This resilience can be utilised in new super strong materials, which are also thin, elastic and lightweight. In the future, satellites, airplanes, and cars could be manufactured out of the new composite materials.
The announcement of the award was made in Stockholm on October 5, 2010, at 5:45 am Eastern time. It was supposed to be broadcast live over YouTube's Nobel Prize channel, but there appear (as of the time of this writing, 30 minutes after the announcement) to be technical difficulties.
Related Articles:
- Graphene
- Graphene Soaks Up Arsenic, July 2010
- Do-It-Yourself Graphene, June 2010
- New Transistor Record, Feb. 2010
- Graphene Balloon Created, Aug. 2008
- Even More Nano - Tiny Graphene Transistor, April 2008
- Graphene: A Super-Speed Semiconductor?, March 2008
- Nano-Transistor, Feb. 2007
- NobelPrize.org: 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics press release
- 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics, Oct. 2009
- 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics, Oct. 2008
- 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics, Oct. 2007
- 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics, Oct. 2006
Comments
To Dr.Richard Smalley,Dr.Tushar Prasad,Dr.Andre Geim and Dr.Konstantin Novoselov-et all.
Drar Sirs,
Sub:carbon is not a conductor of electricity!
I drew a line on a sheet of paper with a graphite pencil and tried to pass electricity through it but the electricity refused to pass throuhg the line. Why?
Even I tried to check the conductivity of that line but no conduction either!? If the drawn line conducts it would be easier to make printed circuits.
With regards
Honnappa.M.Kurgund