Andre Geim |
3 |
"Spider-Man test" of gecko tape[29]
Geim was involved in the development of a biomimetic adhesive which became
known as gecko tape[4]—so called because of the adhesiveness of gecko feet—research of which is still in the early stages.[30] It is hoped that the
development will eventually allow humans to scale ceilings, like Spider-Man.[31]
Geim's research in 1997 into the possible effects of magnetism on water scaling led to the famous discovery of direct diamagnetic levitation of water, and led to a frog being levitated.[32] He has also carried out research on mesoscopic physics and superconductivity.[17][33]
He said of the range of subjects he has studied: "Many people choose a subject for their PhD and then continue the same subject until they retire. I despise this approach. I have changed my subject five times before I got my first tenured position and that helped me to learn different subjects."[15]
He named his favourite hamster, H.A.M.S. ter Tisha, co-author in a 2001 research paper.[21][34]
Honours and awards
Geim shared the 2000 Ig Nobel Prize in physics with Michael Berry for the frog experiment.[35] In 2006 he appeared on the
Scientific American 50.[36] The Institute of Physics awarded him the 2007 Mott Medal and Prize "for his discovery of a new class of
materials—free-standing two-dimensional crystals—in particular graphene".[37] In 2007 he was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.[38]
He shared the 2008 EuroPhysics Prize with Novoselov "for discovering and isolating a single free-standing atomic layer of carbon (graphene) and elucidating its remarkable electronic properties".[39] In 2009 he received the Körber European Science Award.[40] The United States National Academy of Sciences honoured him with the 2010 John J. Carty Award for the Advancement of Science "for his experimental realisation and investigation of graphene, the two-dimensional form of
carbon".[41] He was awarded one of six Royal Society 2010 Anniversary Research Professorships.[42] The Royal Society added its 2010 Hughes Medal "for his revolutionary discovery of graphene and elucidation of its remarkable properties".[43] He was awarded honorary doctorates from Delft University of Technology,[44] ETH Zürich,[20] the
University of Antwerp[45] and the University of Manchester. In 2010, Geim was appointed as Knight Commander of the Order of the Netherlands Lion for his contribution to the Dutch Science.[46] Geim was furthermore made a Knight Bachelor in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to science.[47][48] He was elected a foreign associate of
the US National Academy of Sciences in May 2012.[49]
Nobel Prize in Physics
On 5 October 2010 Geim was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics jointly with Novoselov "for groundbreaking
experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene".[50] Upon hearing of the award he said, "I'm fine, I slept well. I didn't expect the Nobel Prize this year", and that his plans for the day would not change.[51] He said he
hopes that graphene and other two-dimensional crystals will change everyday life as plastics did for humanity.[52] A colleague of Geim said that his award shows that people can still win a Nobel by "mucking about in a lab".[53] The