Summary

This 2009 overview, authored by one of its discoverers, Andre Geim, presents graphene's foundational properties and anticipates its future impact. The central thesis is that graphene, a single atomic layer of carbon, possesses unique electronic, thermal, and mechanical characteristics that position it as a revolutionary material with broad technological applications. Geim outlines key experimental methods for its isolation and characterization, detailing its unusual behavior like the Dirac cone energy spectrum and high carrier mobility.

Readers gain an understanding of graphene's remarkable strength, flexibility, and electrical conductivity, which suggested applications ranging from high-speed electronics and flexible displays to advanced composite materials and energy storage. The book highlights the early-stage research and the significant challenges remaining for large-scale production and integration into commercial products, offering a snapshot of the material's immense potential as understood at the time.

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Key concepts

Graphene — A single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice.
Dirac Cone — The characteristic shape of the electronic band structure near the K and K' points in graphene's Brillouin zone, leading to massless Dirac fermions.
Quantum Hall Effect — An observable phenomenon in 2D electron systems subjected to strong magnetic fields, exhibiting quantized conductivity plateaus, observed in graphene at room temperature.
Scotch Tape Method — The initial, simple technique used by Geim and Novoselov to mechanically exfoliate graphene from graphite.
High Carrier Mobility — The measure of how quickly charge carriers move in response to an electric field, exceptionally high in graphene, indicating superior electronic properties.