A Random Walk to graphene

On 1 December 2016, Professor Andre Geim gave the public lecture: A Randon Walk to Grahene.

Graphene – a single plane of carbon atoms – is probably the simplest material one can imagine. On the other hand, graphene has acquired so many superlatives to its name that people started calling it a wonder material. I will discuss how this research started and, then, try to explain why graphene attracts so much attention these days.

Professor Mogens Høgh Jensen, President of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters writes about the laureate:

The Soviet-born Dutch-British physicist, Andre Geim received the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. He is Professor in School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester.

Graphene is composed of carbon in the form of a two-dimensional, atomic-scale, honey-comb lattice. It is about 100 times stronger than the strongest steel. It conducts heat and electricity efficiently and is nearly transparent.

Scientists have theorized about graphene for decades. It has likely been unknowingly produced in small quantities for centuries, through the use of pencils and other similar applications of graphite. It was originally observed in electron microscopes in 1962, but only studied while supported on metal surfaces. The material was later rediscovered, isolated and characterized in 2004 by Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov at the University of Manchester. High-quality graphene proved to be surprisingly easy to isolate, making more research possible. This work resulted in the two winning the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 "for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene."

Видео A Random Walk to graphene канала Videnskabernes Selskab