【Weekly Topic】Graphene 2014.6.18 — This is a news item from 2010: Researchers working on graphene were awarded the Nobel Prize

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This post was last edited by CO2leaks on 2014-6-18 23:48. First of all, thanks to the original poster and moderators of the leisure section for moving this post here. I have made edits based on this; please understand. The following news item is a report from 2010 regarding the Nobel Prize in Physics; the prize was awarded in the field of graphene materials. These two scientists managed to create graphene by sticking together pieces of it using tape, one piece at a time. Humorously enough, graphene is a two-dimensional material with an extremely thin thickness, which illustrates the perseverance of these scientists. In just 4 years so far, take a look at which of the things mentioned in the following article have already been achieved by modern technology Everyone is welcome to participate actively in the discussion. Let me say a few words first. Over the past two years, the whole world has placed great emphasis on research and development as well as the industrialization of graphene technologies, and progress in China has also been rapid – just look at the enthusiasm in the capital market these days. Quote: “The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced at 11:45 today (17:45 Beijing time) that it has awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics to scientists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov from the University of Manchester in the UK.” The two individuals who had worked together for many years were awarded for their \"groundbreaking\" use of the exfoliation method to successfully obtain the ultra-thin material graphene. 　　The NASA once offered a reward of $4 million to find a material tough enough to be used in creating a cable 37,000 kilometers long, in order to build a \"space elevator\" that could reach into space. It was the discovery of graphene that made this human dream of \"reaching the heavens in one step\" possible. 　　This “carbon sheet with only one layer of carbon atoms thick” is recognized as the thinnest, hardest, and fastest-electron-conducting new material known in the world today. 　　Graphene, which is 100 times harder than the best steels and even harder than diamonds, is actually a single-layer material of carbon atoms stripped from graphite; it represents a two-dimensional structure of carbon. Its extreme hardness, toughness, and excellent electrical conductivity mean that manufacturing super body armor, ultra-light rockets, and supercomputers is no longer a scientific fantasy. 　　But the biggest challenge is that, if we want to move to actual production, we must find a way to produce large-area, high-quality graphene films. 　　For this reason, since graphene was discovered decades ago, scientists have never ceased conducting experiments on various methods for its extraction or synthesis. It was not until 2004 that Geim and Novoselov developed the breakthrough method of exfoliation: they separated graphite into small fragments, stripped thin layers of graphite from those fragments, then stuck tape to both sides of the layers; when the tape was removed, the layers split in two. By repeating this process, they eventually obtained graphene with a thickness of about 100 micrometers, consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms. 　　They successfully separated graphene from the graphite in pencil leads using ordinary tape, which sounds incredibly simple. 　　But a physics PhD who has worked in the lab for many years reminded the reporter, “Imagine how difficult it is to tear apart something with a thickness of just one atom.” “This often requires an extremely long time and countless repeated trials. 　　However, aside from the arduous efforts required to overcome challenges, what makes the Nobel Prize awarded to Gaim and Novoshilov truly remarkable is the power of imagination. Even the Nobel Committee described this master and apprentice as those who \"viewed scientific research as a joyful game,\" knowing that \"they might win the big prize someday.\" Interestingly, in 2000, another of Heim’s inventions won a \"Ig Nobel Prize\"; he used magnetism to overcome gravity and keep a frog floating in mid-air. 　　As enduring as the scientific spirit is the deep friendship between the two Nobel laureates. Now 36 years old, Novoshcholov was born in the former Soviet Union. He met Gaim, also a Russian-born scientist and now 51 years old, while pursuing his doctorate at the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands; since then he has followed him from Nijmegen in the Netherlands to Manchester in the UK. Until today, they have finally written their joint names in the history of human science. ------------------------------------ Where and in which fields will the leading innovations in our field of chemical engineering be found in the world??” There’s also this question