Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Network Covalent Solids

Network Covalent Solids

Network covalent solids contain a three-dimensional network of covalently bonded atoms as found in the crystal structures of nonmetals like diamond, graphite, silicon, and some covalent compounds, such as silicon dioxide (sand) and silicon carbide (carborundum, the abrasive on sandpaper). Many minerals have networks of covalent bonds.
To break or to melt a covalent network solid, covalent bonds must be broken. Because covalent bonds are relatively strong, covalent network solids are typically...

Faraday Disk Dynamo

Faraday Disk Dynamo

A Faraday disk dynamo is a DC generator, producing an emf that is constant in time. It consists of a conducting disk that rotates with a constant angular velocity in the magnetic field, perpendicular to the disk's plane. The rotation of the disk causes a change in magnetic flux, which induces an emf, causing opposite charges to develop on the rim and in the center of the disk. The polarity of the induced emf can be determined by the direction of the magnetic field and the direction of the...

Thomson's e/m Experiment

Thomson's e/m Experiment

In a beam of charged particles created by a heated cathode, the particles move at different speeds. However, many applications need a beam with uniform particle speeds. An arrangement known as a velocity selector uses electric and magnetic fields to pick particles with a particular speed from the beam.
A particle with charge q, speed v, and mass m enters an area from the top, where the magnetic and electric fields are perpendicular both to the particle's motion and to one another. The magnetic...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

A Case of Atraumatic and Non-obstetric Vulvar Hematoma from Contralateral Internal Iliac Artery Rupture.

Clinical practice and cases in emergency medicine·2026

Same author

Mechanical control of polar order.

Science advances·2026

Same author

Room temperature molding of amorphous dielectrics via van der Waals anisotropy at the nanoscale.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Author Correction: Magnon confinement in epitaxial antiferromagnetic oxide heterostructures.

Nature materials·2026

Same author

Molecular jackhammers induce intracellular calcium release and skeletal muscle contraction by vibronic-driven action.

Chemical science·2026

Same author

Strain-Induced Electrical Conductivity in Diamond Nanowires.

Nano letters·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 11, 2026

Graphene Coatings for Biomedical Implants

Graphene Coatings for Biomedical Implants

Published on: March 1, 2013

Evidence for Graphene Formation in Thomas Edison's 1879 Carbon Filament Experiments.

Lucas Eddy^1,2, Chi Hun Choi³, Justin Sharp²

¹Applied Physics Graduate Program and Smalley-Curl Institute, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.

|January 6, 2026

Summary

Researchers recreated Thomas Edison's lightbulb experiments, finding his carbon filaments likely converted into graphene. This discovery suggests Edison may have inadvertently created graphene 145 years ago.

Keywords:

2-dimensional Joule heating Thomas Edison graphene light bulb turbostratic

More Related Videos

Electrospinning of Photocatalytic Electrodes for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells

Electrospinning of Photocatalytic Electrodes for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells

Published on: June 28, 2017

Plasma-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy Growth of Mg3N2 and Zn3N2 Thin Films

Plasma-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy Growth of Mg3N2 and Zn3N2 Thin Films

Published on: May 11, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 11, 2026

Graphene Coatings for Biomedical Implants

Graphene Coatings for Biomedical Implants

Published on: March 1, 2013

Electrospinning of Photocatalytic Electrodes for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells

Electrospinning of Photocatalytic Electrodes for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells

Published on: June 28, 2017

Plasma-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy Growth of Mg3N2 and Zn3N2 Thin Films

Plasma-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy Growth of Mg3N2 and Zn3N2 Thin Films

Published on: May 11, 2019

Area of Science:

Materials Science
History of Science
Nanotechnology

Background:

Thomas Alva Edison, a renowned American inventor, revolutionized lighting with his development of the first commercially viable incandescent lightbulb in 1879.
Edison's Menlo Park laboratory was a pioneering research facility that fostered significant technological advancements.
The composition of Edison's original carbon filaments has been a subject of historical and scientific interest.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the material transformation of carbon filaments under conditions simulating Thomas Edison's original lightbulb experiments.
To determine if graphene, a novel carbon allotrope, could have been formed during Edison's 1879 experiments.
To bridge historical invention with modern materials science discoveries.

Main Methods:

Replication of historical experimental conditions used by Edison for carbon filament lightbulb production.
Analysis of the resulting carbonized filament material using advanced characterization techniques.
Comparison of the synthesized material with known properties of graphene.

Main Results:

The carbon filament, subjected to recreated Edison-era conditions, was transformed into graphene.
Experimental evidence supports the hypothesis that graphene formation occurred during the original incandescent lightbulb experiments.
The study provides a potential new perspective on the materials science involved in early electric lighting.

Conclusions:

Thomas Edison's original carbon filament lightbulbs may have contained graphene, formed under the specific conditions of his experiments.
This finding suggests that graphene, a material of significant modern technological importance, was potentially synthesized over a century ago.
The research highlights the intersection of historical innovation and contemporary scientific understanding of materials.