Events in Physics
Neil Wilson - Going Graphene!
Graphene is a material full of superlatives and enigmas. The first two-dimensional material to be isolated, it is the strongest material known with the highest electrical and thermal conductivities. Electrons on graphene can behave as if they have no mass and pass through barriers that should reflect them. Impressive properties for a material that it was thought could not be isolated - it is only a single atom thick. It has shot to prominence recently, with the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to two scientists from the University of Manchester, Konstantin Novoselov and Andre Geim, recognising the importance of this material in advancing our understanding of fundamental physics. But perhaps most surprising is the rate at which work on graphene is progressing from fundamental science to technological applications. How can the same material make a significant difference in energy storage, transportation, health care, and electronics? The European Union are currently considering investing €1billion in graphene research, this talk will seek to explain why: from the fundamental science, to the fabrication, to the application.