STOCKHOLM, (Reuters) – Two Russian-born scientists shared the 2010 Nobel Prize for physics for showing how carbon just one atom thick behaved, a discovery with profound implications from quantum physics to consumer electronics.
Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov of the University of Manchester in England conducted experiments with graphene. One hundred times stronger than steel, it is a new form of carbon that is both the thinnest and toughest material known.
+ACI-Since it is practically transparent and a good conductor, graphene is suitable for producing transparent touch screens, light panels and maybe even solar cells,+ACI- the committee said.
Novoselov, 36, is a dual British-Russian citizen while Geim, 51, is a Dutch citizen. A committee official said Novoselov was the youngest physics laureate since 1973.
Geim, speaking at a Nobel news conference via telephone, said he had not expected the prize and would try not to let the news change his routine.
+ACI-My plan for today is to go to work and finish up a paper that I didn’t finish this week,+ACI- he said. +ACI-I just try to muddle on as before.+ACI-
Novoselov told Reuters he was keen to move on. +ACI-I’ve had a bit too much graphene in my life — I’ve been working on it for 7 years now — so we want to explore a little bit away from this area,+ACI- he said in a telephone interview.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he was glad that Russian-born scientists had won Nobel prizes in physics, but regretted that they worked abroad.
+ACI-We need to make efforts so that our talented people don’t leave the country,+ACI- he was quoted as saying by Russia’s Interfax news agency.
The pair extracted the material from a piece of graphite such as that found in ordinary pencils using adhesive tape, repeating the trick until they were left with minuscule flakes of graphene. They unveiled the discovery 6 years ago.
