El Grafè

In 2004, Andre K. Geim and Konstantin S. Novoselov of the University of Manchester identified and prepared graphene from graphite. This was an outstanding achievement and in 2010 both scientists were honoured with the Nobel Prize in
Physics «for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material grapheme». Besides the importance of the two-dimensional nature of its structure, graphene opens many new fields of research and study in connection with its properties
and innovative applications in the fields of chemistry and new materials. This paper, based on the inaugural speech for academic year 2012-2013 given by the author at the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona, offers an introductory overview of graphenes key aspects, properties and applications.