Graphene may have been produced in Edison’s first light bulb, study finds

Thomas Edison developed his first light bulb over 100 years ago, in 1879. Representational pic/iStock

Researchers in the US have uncovered evidence suggesting that Thomas Edison may have accidentally produced graphene over a century before it was formally identified, while developing his first light bulb in 1879. The study aimed to reconstruct Edison's original light bulb experiments using modern analytical tools.

The team replicated the US inventor's carbon-filament bulb design and applied electrical conditions similar to those used in the 19th century. Researchers then realised that parts of the filament transformed into turbostratic graphene.

Turbostratic graphene is a form of multi-layer graphene recognised for randomly rotated, misaligned stacking between layers. It is highly valued for scalable, high-volume production, particularly in energy storage and composite strengthening.

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