Free two-dimensional carbon crystal-single-layer graphene

Graphene is a kind of ideal two-dimensional atomic crystal, which was successfully prepared and identified in recent years. Due to many special properties, graphene has attracted more and more attention from scientists in diverse areas and nowadays has become one of the hottest topics in the area of materials science and condensed-matter physics. Graphene is the building unit for all sp2 carbon materials, such as zero-dimensional fullerenes, one-dimensional carbon nanotubes and three-dimensional bulk graphite, and has many unique electronic properties. This paper introduces the discovery history and molecular structure of graphene and reviews latest advances on unique electronic properties and potential applications.