Chemistry World

Graphene, isolated in 2004 by Geim and Novoselov at Manchester via simple Scotch tape exfoliation, won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. Sixteen years on, applications from transparent conductors to batteries are emerging, but mass production at defect-controlled quality remains the bottleneck.

Perovskite-silicon tandems crossed 26% certified efficiency. The barrier now is stability: methylammonium lead iodide degrades under moisture and UV. ALD Al2O3 encapsulation is pushing module lifetimes toward the 20-year commercial threshold.