Sticky tape

The wonder material graphene can be found in any pencil, but for years scientists couldn’t isolate its incredibly thin layers. Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov won the Nobel Prize in 2010 for doing just that, using little more than their curiosity and sticky tape.

In this episode Science and Industry Museum curator Sarah Baines reveals how thinking outside the box, making a frog levitate and sticky tape helped scientists isolate the thinnest and strongest material ever discovered, while luxury gift wrapper Rebekah Chol shares her advice on the best ways to wrap your gifts. Listen along with our host Nihal Arthanayake to the story of how graphene’s incredibly thin layers were first peeled away and uncover how its remarkable properties might transform our world.

This episode was inspired by the sticky tape dispenser used to isolate graphene in the Science Museum Group Collection. This incredible collection contains more than 7 million items which illustrate the impact of science, technology, engineering and medicine on all our lives.

A Brief History of Stuff is a Storythings and Science Museum Group production.

You can watch Andre Geim share his story in this talk recorded at the Science and Industry Museum and read about our graphene exhibition and Manchester’s impact on the study of atoms on our blog. Find out more about the items in this episode and read the transcript on our website, you can also discover more stories about the everyday objects around you. You can support this podcast and our museums by donating online. 

 

Follow the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more insights into the collection and use #ABriefHistoryOfStuff to join the conversation on social media.

Follow luxury gift wrapper Rebekah Chol on Instagram.

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