We may be entering the graphene age. The composite material, made from a single layer of carbon molecules arranged in a honeycomb structure, is increadibly light-weight, about 200 times stronger than similar layers of steel, and has high heat resistance and efficient electrical conductivity. These properties make graphene and similar carbon composites ideally suited for computer chips, airline wings, and a litany of other uses. Graphene - is made from chunks of graphite, similar to what you find in a pencil. However, isolating a single layer of carbon molecules, just one atom thick, is incredibly challenging. It wasn't until 2004 that Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov-at the University of Manchester extracted single -layer, atom-thick crystals of graphene-using an adhesive tape, known as the "Scotch Tape Method."  The work earned them the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics "for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two dimensional material graphene." New and innovative ways to extract the material followed, such as the 2006 patent for creating graphene using an "exfoliating" technique.