Russian duo claim physics Nobel

Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, both with the University of Manchester, conducted experiments with graphene, a new form of carbon that is both the thinnest and strongest material known.

“Since it is practically transparent and a good conductor, graphene is suitable for producing transparent touch screens, light panels and maybe even solar cells,” the committee said.

Novoselov, 36, is a dual British-Russian citizen while Geim, 51, is a Dutch citizen.

The pair extracted the super-thin material from a piece of graphite such as that found in ordinary pencils, using adhesive tape to obtain a flake that was only one atom thick.

“Playfulness is one of their hallmarks, one always learns something in the process and, who knows, you may even hit the jackpot,” the committee said in its release. The material is almost completely transparent yet so dense that not even the smallest gas atom can pass through it. It also conducts electricity as well as copper.

Quantum leap
The academy said that graphene offered physicists the ability to study two-dimensional materials with unique properties and made possible experiments that can 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,” it said.

Mentioning a few possible applications, the academy said graphene transistors were expected to become much faster than today’s silicon ones and yield more efficient computers.

The prize of 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.5m), awarded by the Nobel Committee for Physics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, was the second of this year’s Nobel prizes.