Wonder carbon pioneers win Nobel Physics Prize

Two Russian-born scientists, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, won the 2010 Nobel Physics Prize Tuesday for pioneering work on graphene, touted as the wonder material of the 21st century.

Both laureates began their careers as physicists in Russia but now work at the University of Manchester in Britain. Geim holds Dutch nationality and Novoselov is both a British and Russian national.

The Swedish Academy of Sciences hailed graphene - "the perfect atomic lattice" - for its glittering potential in computers, home gadgets and transport. It lauded Geim, 51, and Novoselov, 36, for having "shown that carbon in such a flat form has exceptional properties that originate from the remarkable world of quantum physics." The prize honours a breakthrough that paved the way to graphene, a form of carbon touted as the next-generation super-material. Just one atom thick, it is the world's thinnest and strongest nano-material, almost transparent and able to conduct electricity and heat. As a result, graphene is described as the candidate material to replace silicon semi-conductors. AFP