| Jan 02, 2012 |
Knighthoods for Nobel-winning graphene pioneers
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(Nanowerk News) Profs Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, from the University of Manchester, won the physics Nobel Prize in 2010 for their pioneering research.
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Dr Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, one of the 2009 chemistry Nobel Prize winners, has also received a knighthood.
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Recipients from technology and science sectors make up 3% of this year's list.
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A knighthood has also been given to Prof Robert Watson, chief scientific adviser to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
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'Groundbreaking experiments'
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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.
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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").
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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".
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Graphene is a form of carbon. It is a flat layer of carbon atoms tightly packed into a two-dimensional honeycomb arrangement.
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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.
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The unusual electronic, mechanical and chemical properties of graphene at the molecular scale promise ultra-fast transistors for electronics.
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Some scientists have predicted that graphene could one day replace silicon - which is the current material of choice for transistors.
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It could also yield incredibly strong, flexible and stable materials and find applications in transparent touch screens or solar cells.
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