In 2004, two scientists at the University of Manchester, Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov, succeeded in isolating graphene through the homespun method of using sticky tape to separate fragments repeatedly from a lump of bulk graphite, the same material used to make pencil leads.  

Graphene, a material only a single atom thick, in which carbon atoms are bound in a hexagonal lattice, was quickly recognised as having a particularly exciting set of properties: it is the world’s thinnest, strongest material, and the most conductive (of heat and electricity), enabling it to be used in a wide range of applications, from microelectronics to aerospace and biomedical science. Other materials can be made much stronger by the simple addition of graphene, and its thinness makes it a promising candidate for use in batteries and supercapacitors.