What Is the Filament in Light Bulbs Made Of?

The word "filament" comes from the Latin "filare" ("to spin"). The first successful light bulb filament was made from bamboo. Modern incandescent light bulbs use filaments made from tungsten.

Light bulb filaments are made from tungsten.

Early Light Bulbs

The first light bulb was made by Warren De la Rue in 1820. The filament was made of platinum, which worked very well but was too expensive to reproduce commercially.

Other Materials

Attempts to find a long-lasting and commercially viable light bulb filament led to the invention of carbonized paper filaments, but these only lasted 13 to 15 hours.

Thomas Edison

In 1880, Thomas Edison was the first to create a successful light bulb filament. His invention was made from bamboo fibers and was able to give light for 1,200 to 1,500 hours.

Stronger Filaments

Carbon didn't work as a filament because it evaporates at high temperatures. Edison's filament worked because the operating temperatures were less. However, the light it produced was not as strong.

Tungsten Filaments

In 1906 to 1910, William Coolidge and the General Electric Company invented and perfected tungsten filaments. Tungsten is perfect for light bulbs because it has a high melting point and low evaporation rate.

References

• The History of the Light Bulb: An Electric Dawn
• The History of the Light Bulb