Prelims 2012 · archive
EasyGraphene has been frequently in the news recently. What is its importance?
- 1.It is a two-dimensional material and has good electrical conductivity.
- 2.It is one of the thinnest but strongest materials tested so far.
- 3.It is entirely made of silicon and has high optical transparency.
- 4.It can be used as 'conducting electrodes' required for touch screens, LCDs and organic LEDs.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 1, 2 and 4 only
Graphene is a single atomic layer of carbon, so it is a two-dimensional material. It is extremely thin, very strong and conducts electricity well. Because it is also a transparent conductor, it can serve as a transparent electrode in touch screens and displays. Statement 3 fails because graphene is made of carbon, not silicon. The answer is (c).
- ✓ 1. Graphene is a sheet of carbon only one atom thick, which makes it a two-dimensional material. As a conductor of electricity it performs as well as copper.
- ✓ 2. The Nobel Prize in Physics 2010 press release describes graphene as not only the thinnest material ever but also the strongest.
- ✗ 3. Graphene is a form of carbon, not silicon. It is nearly transparent, but the claim that it is 'entirely made of silicon' makes the statement wrong.
- ✓ 4. Graphene is a transparent conductor, so it can be used in touch screens, light panels and solar cells. There it can replace the fragile and expensive Indium-Tin-Oxide (ITO). ITO is also the standard transparent conducting electrode in LCDs and organic LEDs, so graphene can serve as the conducting electrode for these devices too.
Remember · Graphene is a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon (not silicon) arranged in a honeycomb lattice. It is the thinnest and strongest material tested so far, conducts electricity well and is almost transparent. Geim and Novoselov won the 2010 Physics Nobel for work on it.
Sources
- The Nobel Prize in Physics 2010 – Press release (Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences) ↗ “As a material it is completely new – not only the thinnest ever but also the strongest. As a conductor of electricity it performs as well as copper.”
- Scientific Background on the Nobel Prize in Physics 2010: Graphene (Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences) ↗ “Since graphene is a transparent conductor it can be used in applications such as touch screens, light panels and solar cells, where it can replace the rather fragile and expensive Indium-Tin-Oxide (ITO).”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2012, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·