Andre Geim and Novoselov Konstantin, two professors from the University of Manchester in Britain, demonstrates the exceptional properties of graphene, a form of carbon that is only one atom thick, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.
Experiments with graphene could lead to development of new materials superstrong and innovative electronics, the academy, said in announcing the prize of 10 million kronor (1.5 million).
"Graphene transistors is expected to be substantially faster than today's silicon transistors and lead to more efficient equipment," the academy said in the citation. "Since it is virtually transparent and a good driver, graphene is suitable for producing transparent touch screens, light panels and even solar cells."
Geim, 51, is a Dutch citizen, while Novoselov, 36, is a British and Russian. Both are from Russia and began his career in physics there.
Novoselov is one of the youngest winners of a prize that usually goes to scientists with decades of experience. The youngest Nobel Prize winner to date is Lawrence Bragg, who was 25 when he shared the physics prize with his father William Bragg in 1915.
In a telephone interview with reporters in Stockholm, Geim said he was surprised by the announcement, but planned to go to work as usual on Tuesday. He said he was not among the winners of the Nobel Prize "stop doing anything for the rest of his life."
Geim last year won the prestigious European Science Korber Prize for his discovery of two-dimensional crystals made of atoms of carbon, in particular graphene, which has the potential to revolutionize the world of microelectronics, "said University Manchester.
"This was a deserved award," said Phillip F. Schewe, a spokesman for the American Institute of Physics in College Park, Maryland.
"Graphene is the world's thinnest material, is one of the strongest, perhaps the world's strongest material. It is an excellent conductor. Passing electrons through it very quickly, which is something I want to make circuits , "said Schewe.
He said that graphene can be a good material for the manufacture of integrated circuits, small chips with millions of transistors that are the backbone of all modern telecommunications. Its properties also could result in potential uses of construction materials, Schewe said, but added it would take some time "before such technology movements in the current application."
The 2010 Nobel Prize announcements began Monday with the medicine prize going to British scientist Robert Edwards for the work that led to the first test tube baby, an achievement that helped 4 million children in the world and raised new challenging questions about human reproduction.
The chemistry prize will be announced on Wednesday, followed by the literature on Thursday, the Peace Prize on Friday and the economy on Monday 11 October.
The prestigious awards were created by Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel and the first proposal in 1901. Prizes are always awarded on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death in 1896.
0 comments:
Post a Comment