Did Thomas Edison Create Graphene More Than 130 Years Before it Was Officially Invented?

Rice University researchers conducting experiments with virtually identical replicas of the light bulbs designed by Thomas Edison have determined that the 19th-century inventor may have created graphene more than 130 years before scientists confirmed the two-dimensional material’s existence. Although he almost surely did not know it, the researchers suggest that Edison’s original light bulb designs may have created graphene via flash Joule heating. Experiments with Identical Light Bulb Replicas Return “Exciting” ResultsAccording to a statement detailing the study, the Rice researcher’s first attempts to find an actual Edison-style light bulb were unsuccessful. To test their flash Joule heating theory, the Rice researchers attached the bulb to a 110-volt DC source like those Edison would have used. Discovery Could Inspire Fresh Look at Other Historic ExperimentsAlthough the Rice team’s experiments produced graphene, the researchers conceded that Edison’s experiments didn’t necessarily result in graphene.