Sometimes, all you need to perform incredible science is some paper and a pencil. And a piece of scotch tape.
This year's Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, from the University of Manchester in the UK, for their "groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene." Or to put it another way, for being able to pull a single layer of carbon, one atom thick, off the surface of a pencil lead with scotch tape.
The original papers on their work only appeared 6 years ago but already their discovery that graphene can be both easily made and easily obtained is leading to major advances in the nano-world. Most other physicists thought the material wouldn't be stable. But when it comes to carbon compounds, stability wasn't an issue. This probably shouldn't come as too much of a surprise as the chemistry of carbon is still full of mysteries.
Graphene is literally a single sheet of graphite. It has a structure similar to chicken wire with each of the "vertices" being a carbon atom. The connecting "wires" are single and double bonds, connecting the atoms in a complex network. The alternation of single and double bonds allow electrons to be passed from one carbon to the next. Indeed, electrons can move throughout the entire network of carbon atoms in two dimensions.
As a consequence, graphene is incredibly strong. Much stronger than metals such as steel. It is the strongest and thinnest material that we have. It is also able to conduct electricity as efficiently as copper. And it outperforms all other materials when it comes to conducting heat. In the world of molecules and atoms, it is not Superman but it is pretty close.
It is also transparent. A film only an atom thick is not something that you would even notice but it could be added to the surface of glass window to strengthen the material by an order of magnitude. Imagine windshields that did not crack or chip. All because of a pencil and scotch tape.
It is also one of the more dense materials and is impenetrable to even the smallest atom. Helium can't pass through graphene. Larger atoms bounce off. Molecules don't even come close. Graphene will make a tremendous barrier to prevent the leakage of gas molecules from within containers - such as space ships.
It is even being considered for use in carbon based transistors. Our modern electronics are based on the silicon chip but a graphene transistor would be both thinner and lighter, with better heat conducting properties. This could mean smaller, lighter electronic devices that don't get as hot when in use. It could also mean more effective photovoltaic cells.
However, the really interesting applications come from graphene when you roll it up. It is easy to generate nano-tubes from the material and nano-tubes allow us to construct wires and reinforcements for other building materials. Walls of reinforced steel could be built with nano-wires running through them and using a fraction of the concrete employed in present construction. A boat hull built from fibre-glass spun out of nano-tubes would be a fraction of the weight of regular fibre-glass boat but also a lot stronger. Nano-tube thread would produce clothing that was truly water repellent.
The possibilities for graphene seem endless. So, it is not really all that surprising that the Nobel committee awarded the prize this year to the two physicists that discovered that all you needed to make graphene was a sheet of paper, a pencil, and some scotch tape.
