1985 ⟶ Discovery of Fullerenes

Harold Kroto, Robert Curl and Richard Smalley discover fulle...

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1985

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🔬 Discovery of Fullerenes

Harold Kroto, Robert Curl and Richard Smalley discover fullerenes, a class of large carbon molecules superficially resembling the geodesic dome designed by architect R. Buckminster Fuller.⟶

ChemistryFullerenesCarbonMaterials ScienceNanotechnologyMolecular ChemistrySmalleyCurlKroto1980s

United States

Harry Kroto, J.R. Heath, S.C. O'Brien, R.F. Curl, and Richard Smalley discovered the unusual stability of the buckminsterfullerene molecule and deduce its structure.⟶

ChemistryMaterials ScienceFullerenesCarbon MoleculesNanotechnologyStructural ChemistryKrotoSmalley1980sMolecular Structure

United States

PhysicsSuperconductivityMaterials ScienceHigh-Temperature SuperconductorsMüllerBednorz1980sSolid-State PhysicsCondensed Matter PhysicsNobel Prize

Switzerland

Bart van Wees and colleagues at TU Delft and Philips Research discovered the quantized conductance in a two-dimensional electron gas.⟶

PhysicsQuantum MechanicsSolid-State PhysicsElectronicsQuantized ConductanceVan Wees1980sNanotechnologyTwo-dimensional Electron Gas

Netherlands

Sumio Iijima uses electron microscopy to discover a type of cylindrical fullerene known as a carbon nanotube, though earlier work had been done in the field as early as 1951. This material is an important component in the field of nanotechnology.⟶

NanotechnologyMaterials ScienceElectron MicroscopyFullerenesSumio IijimaCarbonNanomaterials

Japan

Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov isolated graphene, a monolayer of carbon atoms, and studied its quantum electrical properties.⟶

Materials ScienceGrapheneAndre GeimKonstantin NovoselovNanotechnology21st Century ScienceCarbon

United Kingdom