The 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics: graphene

What this document is

This page summarises the scientific-background document accompanying the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. The prize was awarded to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov of the University of Manchester "for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene".

The background paper, published by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, explains the discovery in more technical depth than the short public citation, placing it in the wider context of condensed-matter physics and materials science.

What it covers

The document centres on graphene and the experiments that isolated and characterised it. Graphene is notable because it is:

• a single atomic layer of carbon in a honeycomb lattice, effectively two-dimensional;
• remarkably strong relative to its weight;
• an excellent conductor of electricity and heat;
• almost completely transparent.

The laureates famously demonstrated a strikingly simple method for obtaining single layers of the material, opening the door to detailed study of its unusual electronic behaviour.

Why it matters

Graphene became widely described as a "wonder material" because its combination of strength, conductivity and thinness suggests applications across electronics, sensors, composites and energy technologies. The discovery also energised the broader field of two-dimensional materials.

Advanced materials of this kind are relevant far beyond physics, including to future energy storage and generation — a tenuous but real link to our own renewable energy coverage. This document is frequently cited, which is why we host a neutral summary here.

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