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  What is the Iron Pillar? The Iron Pillar in Delhi is a structure 23 feet 8 inches (7.2 metres) high with 16 inches (40.64 cm) diameter that was constructed by  Chandragupta II , and now stands in the  Qutab complex  at  Mehrauli  in  Delhi , India.   The Iron pillar is a testimony of high-level skill achieved by the ancient Indian iron smiths in the extraction and processing of iron. It has attracted the attention of archaeologists and metallurgists, as it has withstood corrosion for nearly 1600 years. [i]           History of the Iron Pillar: An iron pillar weighing over 6 tonnes, more than 7 metres tall is constructed in a single forge and is erected on top of the Vishnupada hill (somewhere in modern central India) with Sanskrit inscriptions on it in the Brahmi script about the great Gupta ruler Chandragupta Vikramaditya. Later about seven centuries ago it was installed in its current position by Tomar king Anangapala.  [ii] The solid iron pillar’s lower part is rough and pitted wh

  What is Graphene? Before that what is Carbon Fibre?  A thread made up of carbon is called carbon fibre, graphene is an allotrope of carbon and hence threads (fibres) made up of graphene are called graphene fibres. Once, on a Friday, the two scientists Andre Geim and Kostya Noselov removed some flakes from a lump of bulk graphite with sticky tape. They noticed some flakes were thinner than others. By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.                          The isolation of graphene led to the discovery of a whole family of 2D materials, including hexagonal boron nitride and molybdenum disulphide. These can be combined with graphene to create new ' designer materials ' to produce applications originally limited to science fiction.   Combinations of these 2D materials are called heterostructures - tiny towers with different laye