Technologies
At nH2, we are constantly discovering new technologies to bring to market, nurturing them through the discovery pipeline from invention to commercialisation. Here are some of our current highlights:

Mi3Data

As a computational platform for novel material discovery, Mi3Data will set a new standard in intelligent software for predictive material science.
Mi3 will grow as it gathers fresh research from scientists and universities creating an increasingly rich data platform. As a result, it will significantly reduce the time and cost required to discover new molecular combinations and to develop new materials.
99% of possible four-element materials are still a complete mystery, but Mi3Data is helping us to explore them intelligently and efficiently.
nVerpix

OLED displays offer vivid colours and thin screens but anything larger than a phone screen is problematic and expensive to produce. nVerpix is about to change that with a new, carbon nanotube-based OLED pixel technology.
Central to this new pixel architecture is nVerpix’s CN-VOLET, a vertical organic, light-emitting transistor, that combines the previously separate drive transistor and light emitting elements of an OLED pixel into a single, vertically stacked element achieving stunning brightness with low currents.
nVerpix’s unique carbon nanotube-based technology brings the possibility of affordable, large-scale, flexible and transparent displays within reach for the first time.
"We realised that the OLED problem wasn't a materials problem as everyone thought but an architecture problem."
Andrew Rinzler, nVerpix

We’re currently working with the Advanced Display Research Center in Seoul to build larger prototype nVerpix screens and begin production scale up.
Wand

Neutron radiation is hard to shield and therefore a very useful indicator of radioactive material, but it is hard and expensive to detect.
In Wand we have combined boron-activated nano-materials with thin-film circuitry to create a lightweight detection system. Wand can be used to coat structures as large as entire tunnels or as small a lapel pin, making real-time scanning of traffic and crowds a very real and, at one sixth of the price of existing detectors, inexpensive possibility.
The global radiation detector market is predicted to grow to nearly £23 billion by 2020.

Our scientific teams are working on a pocket-sized radiation detector and a prototype detector tunnel. They are also working to expand the technology to gamma-ray detection.
SafeWater

Our filters can be tailored to remove a wide range of chemical contaminants such as arsenic, fluoride, and heavy metals, as well as biological impurities like viruses and bacteria. Best of all, the system requires no electricity or chemical additives for water purification, and very little maintenance, keeping costs low. Flow rates and capacities can also be customised to suit a wide range of different applications.
“Arsenic contamination in water is the largest poisoning in the history of humanity.”
(WHO)

About 780 million people—a tenth of the world’s population—do not have access to clean drinking water.
NIRvision

Combining infra-red sensitive, nano-sized crystals, or Quantum dots, with organic LEDs (OLEDs), our thin-film technology opens up the potential for a huge range of new night vision applications, from head-up night vision displays in cars to affordable, non-intrusive night vision glasses.
Another research avenue our team is pursuing with this technology is improving the efficiency of solar panel by widening their sensitivity to light energy in the infra-red part of the spectrum.
10-20 times lighter than standard night vision systems, the NIRvision quantum dot-based system also consumes up to 20 times less power.

Having successfully demonstrated the technology, the next step for the our NIRvision science team is to take their infra-red technology into commercial applications.
Paramata

Paramata utilises radio waves and proprietary detection and data visualisation techniques to provide unparalleled resolution and scanning depth. Our prototypes are already more effective at detecting defects in composite materials than any other scanning technology on the market.
The first generation of Paramata will fit inside a suitcase for easy transportation and use. We are also working towards automating the scanning process with robotics, introducing it as part of a vehicle’s regular maintenance cycle. Paramata's scanning technology could also be applied to materials as a coating or integrated into the materials themselves, providing maintenance teams and flight crews with live monitoring systems.
Composite materials are crucial in transport, construction, aerospace, and pipeline engineering. The US composite market alone is projected to reach $12 billion by 2020.

We’re now building on our current prototypes to create an integrated, suitcase-sized, scanning system that’s easy to transport to wherever it’s needed.
eFlowBox

Our vision with eFlowBox is to put into people’s hands the power to generate, store and supply cheaper energy, allowing them to switch between different energy supplies depending on availability and cost, and to store any excess power they produce for use at a later time.
The system could help households dramatically reduce their energy costs, and help ensure reliable sources of electricity for the 1.6 billion people currently living in areas with intermittent grid supply. It could also be scaled up to provide smart energy management for local communities, transferring energy from home to home according to different supply and demand parameters.
We predict that eFlow could provide cost savings of 50% for moderate energy users.

Our scientists are developing the eFlowBox battery system to allow users to vary their capacity according to their needs, and are working on new highly efficient energy storing nanomaterials.
nSolgel

Our scientists at nSolgel have developed a process of chemical washes and reactions that enable sand particles to bond with cement-like strength. Unlike conventional concrete manufacturing, which requires time for the concrete to set and cool-down before further layers can be added, nSolgel’s manufacturing process occurs at room temperature, allowing for continual pouring – particularly valuable in large construction projects or difficult environments.
nSolgel can also be fine tuned to suit a range of different construction applications, by adjusting features such as setting times, compressive strength, flow rate and solidification under water. This makes it a highly practical solution to major civil engineering problems.
A sea-barrier built using nSolgel would have carbon savings of over 80% compared to one built with conventional cement.

The nSolgel team has achieved compressive strengths of approximately 5800 psi, almost double that of the strongest Portland cement mortar, and they're not stopping there.