| Jan 02, 2012 |
Knighthoods for Nobel-winning graphene pioneers |
| (Nanowerk News) Profs Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, from the University of Manchester, won the physics Nobel Prize in 2010 for their pioneering research. |
| Dr Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, one of the 2009 chemistry Nobel Prize winners, has also received a knighthood. |
| Recipients from technology and science sectors make up 3% of this year's list. |
| A knighthood has also been given to Prof Robert Watson, chief scientific adviser to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). |
| 'Groundbreaking experiments' |
| Profs Geim and Novoselov, both originally from Russia, first worked together in the Netherlands before moving to the UK. |
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| Andre Geim (right) and Konstantin Novoselov. |
| They were based at the University of Manchester when they published their seminal research paper on graphene in October 2004 (see the paper in Science: "Electric Field Effect in Atomically Thin Carbon Films"). |
| It was their work on the world's thinnest material that was recognised by the Nobel committee in 2010 for "for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene". |
| Graphene is a form of carbon. It is a flat layer of carbon atoms tightly packed into a two-dimensional honeycomb arrangement. |
| Because it is so thin, it is also practically transparent. As a conductor of electricity, it performs as well as copper; and as a conductor of heat, it outperforms all other known materials. |
| The unusual electronic, mechanical and chemical properties of graphene at the molecular scale promise ultra-fast transistors for electronics. |
| Some scientists have predicted that graphene could one day replace silicon - which is the current material of choice for transistors. |
| It could also yield incredibly strong, flexible and stable materials and find applications in transparent touch screens or solar cells. |
| Source: BBC |
