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How did Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov isolate graphene in 2004?

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graphene: atomic force microscopy — graphene Atomic force microscopy image of water structures that were trapped beneath a sheet of graphene one atom thick.

In 2004, physicists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov at the University of Manchester successfully isolated single-layer graphene using a straightforward technique known as the scotch-tape method.12

This process involved using adhesive tape to peel away the top layers from a sample of graphite. By applying these layers to a substrate—specifically silicon covered with a thin layer of silicon dioxide—and subsequently removing the tape, the researchers left behind flakes of graphene in single-layer form.1

The resulting graphene was visible under a standard optical microscope due to the optical contrast created by interference phenomena within the silicon dioxide layer. This breakthrough allowed the team to study the physical properties of graphene, such as its high electron mobility, and earned them the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010.12