Two British-based scientists shared the Nobel Prize in physics yesterday for “groundbreaking experiments” with an atom-thin material expected to play a large role in electronics.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences nominated Russians Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, who are both linked to universities in Britain, for experiments with graphene, a flake of carbon that is only one atom thick.

Experiments with it could lead to the development of new material and “the manufacture of innovative electronics”, including faster computers, the award said.

“Since it is practically transparent and a good conductor, graphene is suitable for producing transparent touch screens, light panels and maybe even solar cells,” the academy said. Prof. Geim, 51, is a Dutch national while Mr Novoselov, 36, holds British and Russian citizenship. Both are natives of Russia and started their careers in physics there.

Prof. Geim, a physics professor at the University of Manchester, said he was shocked by the announcement but planned to go back to work as usual. He said he was not among the Nobel Prize winners who “stop doing anything for the rest of their life”.

Last year he received the prestigious Korber European Science Award for his discovery of two-dimensional crystals made of carbon atoms, particularly graphene. The 2010 Nobel Prize announ­ce­ments started on Monday with the medicine award going to British researcher Robert Edwards for work that led to the first test tube baby, an achievement that helped bring four million infants into the world and raised challenging new questions about human reproduction.

The chemistry prize will be announced today, followed by literature tomorrow, the peace prize on Friday and economics on Monday.