Graphene: A journey through carbon nanoscience
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nanoscale research by funding agencies accelerated the entry of young people into the field, thereby introducing many new ideas. The complexity of the chirality dependence of the many interesting nanotube properties resulted in attracting many people to this research field. MRS actively contributed to these developments by convening relevant symposia and workshops on these and other topics of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Such encouragement was strongly influential in the development of a large scientific community knowledgeable in this research field. Thus, in late 2004, when Geim and Novoselov published their seminal paper on the synthesis of monolayer graphene, a large number of highly knowledgeable people were available to appreciate the significance of graphene and to start contributing quickly and actively to this rapidly evolving field. For the next five years, graphene research was featured at many conferences and workshops, and these activities correspondingly contributed to advancing the field. The multidisciplinary approach of MRS meetings closely matched the needs for growth in this field and the desire of researchers as well as industrial and governmental research funders to seek practical applications. With rapid growth of the field and its high activity level for nearly a decade, researchers in the past two years have started to look at the more general topic of two-dimensional and layered materials, including the creation of superlattices of different layered materials, and of superlattices of gapless constituents alternating with semiconductors with normal bandgaps such as graphene and BN superlattices. Materials such as MoS2 and WS2, which have been known for some time as lubricants, and Bi2Te3, known as a thermoelectric material, have recently escalated in importance as two-dimensional materials beyond graphene. Emerging interest in carbon-based nanostructures and related materials is clearly a worldwide phenomenon, with the emergence of the large-scale European flagship proposal for support by both individual European countries and by the European Union as a whole. Other large programs are also being launched in Korea and Singapore. Interest in nanocarbon continues to be strong in Japan as well. The finding that carbon nanostructures can be effectively used to sequester 137 Cs coming from the radioactive accident at the FukushimaDaiichi nuclear plant is having a practical impact, providing evidence for the value of scientific progress to address critical society needs. MRS BULLETIN
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VOLUME 37 • DECEMBER 2012
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www.mrs.org/bulletin
1319
GRAPHENE: A JOURNEY THROUGH CARBON NANOSCIENCE
Considering historical perspectives like this brief review going back to nanocarbon developments since 1990 is important to remind us how poor we are in predicting the future and how important resiliency and flexibility are in advancing the scientific enterprise. From this 20-year history we can see how a topic with deep intellectual content, but not yet appreciated by many unfamiliar with the unique struct
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