carbon atoms
Figure 10.43 Diamond is extremely hard because of the strong bonding between carbon atoms in all directions. Graphite in pencil lead rubs off onto paper due to the weak attractions between the carbon layers. An image of a graphite surface shows the distance between the centers of adjacent carbon atoms. credit left photo: modification of work by Steve Jurvetson; credit middle photo: modification of work by United States Geological Survey You may be less familiar with a recently discovered form of carbon: graphene. Graphene was first isolated in 2004 by using tape to peel off thinner and thinner layers from graphite. It is essentially a single sheet one atom thick of graphite. Graphene, illustrated in Figure 10.44, is not only strong and lightweight, but it is also an excellent conductor of electricity and heat. These properties may prove very useful in a wide range of applications, such as vastly improved computer chips and circuits, better batteries and solar cells, and stronger and lighter structural materials. The 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov for their pioneering work with graphene.